Warriors: In Cold Blood
by xPrisonerx
Summary: Ivy is a rogue with a haunting past. Ferretpaw is a fearful medicine cat apprentice, and Duskpaw is his local clan bully. The destiny of these three very different cats is tied together; it might even save ShadowClan from a dark secret. Original characters, sometime between SkyClan's move and the events of the the first Warriors series and the supereditions before it.
1. Chapter 1 and 2

_Author here. Thank you, review! I have now applied the distinction between point-of-views on chapters 1-4. :D_

Ivy, Duskpaw, and Ferretpaw

 _Ivy_

A sleek brown she-cat lurked in the shadows, shrouded in the darkness of the falling night, and the shadows of the trees around her. Ivy stalked her prey, slinking behind tree after tree, hoping that she would get a chance to catch the little brown rabbit off guard. She used to feel sympathy for her prey, but learning to fend for herself came naturally to her now. Her whole personality had changed since she escaped the strangle hold of her past. No longer was she that stupid little kit that allowed every cat she had ever met to use her and walk all over her. No; that kit had burst into flames, and a newer, stronger cat rose from the ashes. Upon becoming a rouge, a braver, more powerful spirit chased away the meekness in her and made her slender body strong.

Thinking about her past had distracted her just long enough for her to lose sights on her would-have-been dinner, allowing the perfect chance for it to escape sure death. As sleek as she was, Ivy was usually an excellent huntress. She mentally cursed herself for allowing this kit's mistake and continued to hunt, venturing further into the woods as the night grew darker.

 _Ferretpaw_

It would've been a tedious job to any other cats in his Clan, but not to him. Ferretpaw couldn't think of a better way to spend his time.

"Juniper," he mewed to himself. "Those are next." And so he continued, taking in the scents around him and enjoying the nice weather.

It didn't take him long to find the berries, and when he did he tried to work fast. Brindlestripe told him to hurry, and he'd already been out for a while. Soon, however, his calm day was interrupted.

A sharp, unfamiliar scent hit him suddenly, and he opened his mouth a bit to taste the air. It was definitely a cat, but not any cat he'd ever met. It didn't have the scent of a cat from a Clan, either. His heart began to beat faster, and his breath quickened. He glanced around himself hurriedly, desperately hoping that he was wrong. What could he do? What could a weak cat like himself do?

 _Calm down_ , he thought. _You've got to stay calm. There are other cats that can handle this better than you can. And besides that, there's a large chance that you're wrong._

He left the berries on the ground and bolted back to camp, praying to StarClan that this was his imagination.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw stretched his hind legs out, and hissed as a shock of pain shot up his body from his muscles.

"Fox Dung," muttered Duskpaw, "that ol' piece of dirt got me sore again." As far as he could tell, he didn't even need battle training. Duskpaw frowned at the thought of his mentor, Nightmist. Nightmist was jet-black, as his name hinted. He also happened to be incredibly furry; making sure Duskpaw would smell the scent of his mentor's pelt along with the failure of his own heavy paws easily being unbalanced by Nightmist's quick ones. Duskpaw wasn't even in the mood to eat after that! He felt his rage sink from his mind down to his claws and unsheathed them. As he continued to mentally complain, a different scent floated near his nose and tingled his whiskers.

Duskpaw smirked at the scent.

"Ferretpaw, out of camp, alone," Duskpaw licked a single paw, and whisked it across his dark whiskers, "I needed something to lift my mood." Duskpaw stood up, flinching at his aching muscles, but trotted happily after the fear-and-herb-wreathed scent.

The Search

 _Ivy_

Ivy froze, and she knew it was not just the frigid early morning air stiffening her muscles. No, she had definitely sensed another cat close by, and it had probably sensed her too. The cat quickly disappeared just as she noticed its presence.

As the sun moved deeper into the sky, Ivy pulled herself through the boggy forest, pondering on this unfamiliar cat that she sensed earlier. It definitely wasn't a cat from her past clan; it was probably just another rogue. Ivy continued to move through the woods as quietly as possible. Though she didn't think she should worry about the other cat, if it was a cat from one of the strange warrior clans, she could be in trouble. She had to try and stay off of clan territories, or risk being captured and, depending on the clan and the clan leader, possibly killed. This thought sent a chill running throughout Ivy's frame.

She stopped herself from continuing on this frightening thought path, and returned her attention to her hunt. She still hadn't been able to find anything to eat since she let the rabbit escape. She needed food to continue looking after herself, and that was that. Not eating, for even a couple of nights, was not an option.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw focused his senses and followed the scent leading away from camp and into the deep, muddy forest. But once he made it past the carrion place, not only was Ferretpaw's scent stronger... but it seemed to be heading _towards_ him.

And directly after the thought passed through Duskpaw's mind did the tiny tabby-tomcat collide directly into Duskpaw, with an _OOF!_ Duskpaw hissed in frustration, and went tumbling backwards into the grimy forest floor of Shadowclan's territory, with the small medicine cat on top of him. Ferretpaw stared at Duskpaw with horror in his eyes.

"Ferretpaw, you-" Duskpaw began through clenched teeth, but Ferretpaw was already off running again! Duskpaw felt the adrenaline of the chase and was suddenly excited. He launched himself with his sore muscles directly on top of Ferretpaw, pinning him.

 _How's THAT for uncoordinated_ , Duskpaw silently thought to Nightmist, who had previously scorned him in battle practice for his clumsiness. Ferretpaw squirmed in panic and fought for breath.

" _Duskpaw! No! There's_ -" Ferretpaw gasped, but Duskpaw interrupted him.

"You ran into me! _Me_ ," Duskpaw growled, acting as if he hadn't been following the tom. He raised a paw to try and make Ferretpaw flinch, but the small cat simply fought harder to flip himself over. _More strength than usual, strange_ , thought Duskpaw.

Ferretpaw's meow burst through his thoughts, "You don't understand! ...I-I think I smelled an enemy cat over-" Duskpaw's head shot up at the word _enemy,_ though he still kept Ferretpaw pinned.

"Enemy cat? On our territory!? Imagine… if I brought home an enemy warrior!" Duskpaw's eyes widened in excitement at the thought of it.

"B-but-" Ferretpaw stuttered, and Duskpaw shoved his own tail in Ferretpaw's mouth to shut him up.

"We're going to find it! And _you'll_ be leading me. Now, move!" Duskpaw hissed, and grabbed Ferretpaw by the scruff of his neck to yank him up on his paws.

Ferretpaw was frozen, "J-Juniper-"

" _Go_."

And Ferretpaw began shakily leading Duskpaw through the dark, piney forest.

 _Ferretpaw_

Ferretpaw's small feet padded ahead of Duskpaw, making hardly any noise. If only Duskpaw would've listened to him! This wasn't a warrior, it was a _rogue_. There was no telling what it would do! Then again, if Ferretpaw hadn't been such a coward they wouldn't be in the situation in the first place. He shook his head, letting out a frustrated breath. Either way, he had to focus on leading Duskpaw to the rogue now. He tasted the air, and he immediately picked out the scent of the dark blue berries. If only he was actually going to pick them instead of going to find what he assumed would be a less-than-pleasant rogue on their territory. He sighed and continued ahead, trying to keep calm.

When he got to the berries, the scent of the cat was still present, hanging in the air ominously. He stared down at the berries, not wanting to look up at the other apprentice.

"This is where I smelled it," he mewed nervously. He could've led Duskpaw further, but Duskpaw would be better at tracking it from there, anyway.

 _Ivy_

"Berries, plants, leaves. I can't live off of this. I need real food. Come on Ivy, you are a huntress, you aren't a kit. Focus!" she scolded herself. She found herself doing this quite often.

 _Why?_ she wondered this too, but perhaps it was because she was scared of returning to what she once was.

Walking through the woods with no food was starting to become a problem for Ivy. Her hunger was literally starting to slow her down. If she were attacked in her current state, she would most definitely lose. Despite her usually strict carnivorous diet, Ivy dropped her pride and walked over to a nearby berry bush. She was never any good at this; deciding which berries were toxic and which were safe to eat. She'd just have to trust her senses.

"Yeah, those same senses that let my meal get away and could have gotten me captured," she scolded herself again but sighed before she let herself go any further. "I've got to stop this." She said and sniffed each of the berries very carefully.

She plucked a delicate berry from a bushel of leaves and let it sit in her mouth for a while before slowly biting down. A tart sensation danced in her mouth. Either she had picked the berry she had wanted, the Juniper that would improve her strength, or she had picked a self explaining Deathberry; she hoped for the first option.

Before she could enjoy her snack any longer, she caught two sharp scents. One was familiar, the scent that she had picked up on earlier. A rouge would not have fetched a partner. Ivy feared she had entered a territory and found a tree, quickly climbing it. Trying to blend into the greenery, she crouched and waited to run.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw lifted his muzzle and sniffed the air. The rogue stank. Duskpaw wrinkled his nose.

"Well Ferretpaw, I guess you can..." Duskpaw stopped himself. He considered the situation. He couldn't even beat his stupid mentor in a practice battle. If this warrior was really rough and tough... "..I guess you can stay with me! That's right. You have the honor of walking with the great Duskpaw hunting his prey," Duskpaw bragged.

 _Or the honor of being my shield_ , thought Duskpaw. He glanced at Ferretpaw, who was standing with his jaw gaping open.

Duskpaw bared his teeth. "Well come on then, the scent's that way," he pointed his snout in the direction of the stink, "and if someone gets hurt because you weren't fast enough-" Duskpaw started meowing, but Ferretpaw already hung his head and began padding after the scent, muttering something under his breath.

Duskpaw made sure to hiss at Ferretpaw as he passed to make him jump. They twisted through the short pines of the dark territory, and Duskpaw continued to push Ferretpaw in front. After what seemed like moons, Ferretpaw suddenly halted in front of a thistle bush that was leaning against an old pine tree with the fur on the back of his neck rising in alarm.

Duskpaw prodded him with a paw, "What is it, mouse brain?" He scowled at Ferretpaw. Ferretpaw took a sharp breath in, starting to talk, when suddenly a figure fell from the sky; it landed on top of Ferretpaw and Duskpaw, causing them both to shout, and split apart.

"R-R-R-" Ferretpaw was stuttering as he quickly slithered out from underneath the dark figure.

" _Rogue ambush_!" Duskpaw finished with a shaky voice, shoving their attacker off of himself with his broad shoulders. Duskpaw had to regain his footing from his clumsy force, but then calmed his nerves, stuck out his fur until he was twice his size, and turned around to face the enemy.

But now Duskpaw saw. This enemy was already down. It was a dirty, dark brown she-cat, convulsing in agony and foaming at the mouth.

Duskpaw felt a shiver rise up his spine, "W-what's wrong with her?" He mewed in horror. Ferretpaw had been trembling behind the thistle bush. He emerged at the sound of Duskpaw's terrored awe, with huge eyes, staring at the rogue.

"Great StarClan," he breathed. Suddenly the small tabby tom's face was hard. He looked up sharply at Duskpaw. "Go fetch me a yellow, bristled leaf with a sour stench! There's some by the river; hurry! And do not swallow it!" Ferretpaw meowed sternly. Dazed, Duskpaw turned tail and obeyed the cat he usually bullied.

He dashed as quickly as he could through the forest, found the stream, grabbed the leaf, and charged back to the site of the rogue. When he returned, he saw Ferretpaw's paws soaked in the foam of the she-cat's mouth, ripping pieces of berries out of it. Ferretpaw glanced up to see that Duskpaw had returned and darted over faster than lightning, ripping the leaf out of Duskpaw's jaws, chewed it up, and spit it back out.

"What's going on?" Duskpaw pulled the words out of his jaw weakly. He was utterly confused and out of breath. Ferretpaw ignored him and started shoved the bile of the leaf in the rogue's mouth. Then he massaged the rogue's neck, urging her to swallow.

"Come on now..." Ferretpaw was speaking to himself with his voice tightening as if he were on the verge of panic, but he quickly regained his composure with careful breathing. Duskpaw's head tilted to one side at the strange change of character for Ferretpaw when the medicine cat apprentice had seen tortured rogue. Suddenly, the rogue's eyes, which previously had been wildly whipping around, rolled back in her head. She ceased her convulsions and retched.

Duskpaw frowned. "That was your brilliant rescue?" He began to shake off his discomfort and act normal, but then the rogue began to cough and breathe regularly, and then passed out soundly. Ferretpaw sighed with relief and turned to Duskpaw.

"She ate deathberries," he explained quietly, "but I was able to get her to regurgitate the bile. She needs rest now," he mewed turning toward the rogue. "We're bringing her to camp," Ferretpaw stated surely.

"We're helping the enemy?" Duskpaw shouted with disbelief. He didn't like Ferretpaw when he wasn't afraid. Duskpaw frowned more.

Ferretpaw rolled his eyes, reasoning, "How about a 'capture' then?" Duskpaw's eyes lit up and he completely went along with that perspective of the situation.

Shouting in triumph, "This filthy beast will never again steal from ShadowClan!" He bounced over to her and scooped her up by her scruff, carrying her back to camp next to Ferretpaw.


	2. Brief Interlude-- Clan Page!

**SHADOWCLAN**

 **LEADER:**

Echostar

White she-cat with a black spot on her right eye, and blue eyes.

 **DEPUTY:**

Darkleaf

Broad, black tomcat with a white chest and muzzle, and dark amber eyes.

 **MEDICINE CAT:**

Brindlestripe (Mentor to Ferretpaw)

Ginger tabby with amber eyes.

 **WARRIORS (MOST SENIOR TO YOUNGEST):**

Fogpath

Half-blind, white, tomcat with amber eyes.

Smokefoot

Gray-tabby tomcat with green eyes.

Nightmist (Mentor to Duskpaw)

Jet-black tomcat with long fur and deep blue eyes.

Ferngaze

Pale ginger she-cat with blue eyes.

Brightflower

Long-coated golden she-cat with green eyes.

Toadleap (Mentor to Silentpaw)

Brown tomcat with tall hind legs, and yellow eyes.

Petaldust (Mentor to Foxpaw)

Pale golden tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

Fuzzywhisker

Light brown tabby with matted fur, and green eyes.

Flamepath

Ginger tomcat with white chest, muzzle, and paws, with blue eyes.

Rosethorn

Thick, white coated she-cat, with green eyes.

 **APPRENTICES:**

Foxpaw

Ginger she cat with an abnormally puffy tail, and blue eyes.

Ferretpaw (Medicine Cat)

Small, brown tabby tomcat with dark brown eyes.

Duskpaw

Almost black, but mostly dark brown tomcat with yellow eyes.

Silentpaw

Silver tabby with white chest, paws, and muzzle, with blue eyes.

 **QUEEN(S):**

Mistpelt

Tortishell she-cat with yellow eyes. Mother to Oatkit and Fennelkit

 **ELDERS:**

Cloudeyes

A light gray, blind, tabby tomcat, with foggy amber eyes.

Eagleclaw

A fiercely golden tomcat with long, though now aging, claws, and a thick coat, with blue eyes.

Breezetail

A dark gray, almost blue she-cat with a long tail, and hazel eyes.

FAMILY TREE:

SmokefootxFerngaze

Having Nettleheart, Flamepath, and Rosethorn || Silentpaw

EagleclawxBreezetail

Having Brindlestripe, Smokefoot, and Nightmist || Toadleap and Petaldust

DarkleafxRosethorn

Having Foxpaw and Ferretpaw

Alderstarx?/Alderstarx?

Having Echostar, Fogpath, Blizzard, and Nettlefang || Fuzzywhisker and ?

FuzzywhiskerxMistpelt

Having Oatkit and Fennelkit

?x?

Having Duskpaw

?x?

Having Cloudeyes and ?

?x?

Having Brightflower, Ferngaze, and Darkleaf

NightmistxBrigtflower

No kits.


	3. Chapter 3 and 4

A Friendly Introduction

 _Ivy_

When Ivy woke up, she immediately realized that she was being carried somewhere. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a tail; a long, black tail. It was very close to her face, too close. Ivy hated things being close to her face. She wanted this to come as a surprise, and hurt. She needed to regain her sense of pride. Since this needed to be a surprise, she couldn't use her claws, so she resorted to her next best weapon.

Only very slightly did she lift her head, only enough for her to be able to open her jaws. She slowly positioned her jaws around the end of the tip of the black tail, being very careful not to let her fangs give away her next move. Very suddenly, she snapped her mouth shut, letting her fangs sink into the flesh and clenching her jaw.

"FOX DUNG ROUGE!" a cat yowled. Ivy could tell her was not a kit, but was not yet of warrior age either. She hissed at whoever was carrying her and leapt away from them, hissing and spitting. She barred her fangs and unsheathed her claws, crouching to the ground in a fighting stance.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw yowled in pain. "FOX DUNG ROGUE!" He screeched.

The shaggy thing had bitten Duskpaw's beautiful tail! He turned around and reared up, hissing, and seeing the rogue do the same.

"N-no! We don't have to fight; she's-" Ferretpaw was cut off as usual with Duskpaw charging at the dung-scented rogue. He flung his body directly at her, but just as he was planting his paws to land on her, she shot underneath him, faster than a snake, causing him to lose his balance. He landed ungracefully. Duskpaw felt the breath get knocked out of his body, and as he lay winded, the rogue quickly darted around back at Duskpaw, leaping on his back.

Duskpaw felt panic begin to rise through him, but suddenly his mentor's words echoed through his mind, _"Your strengths, use your strengths!"_

The rogue hissed in triumph and rasped, "Gotcha, ya' stargazing freak!" She lunged her teeth at his neck, and at that moment, Duskpaw may have thought fast for the first time in his life. He yanked his head back just in time to collide with her nose. The rogue yowled in pain and lost her grip slightly, allowing Duskpaw to push hard with his front legs, flip himself over, and land squarely on the rogue. Duskpaw felt a smile form on his lips and he dug his claws into the loose fur around her shoulders in an attempt to pin her.

But she was clever; she rolled over so the two were locked in a tumbling tussle of who-could-withstand-the-most-pain. Duskpaw ripped his claws down her shoulder, and she countered easily with a tear to his ear. Duskpaw felt his body giving in from the oncoming blows of her claws which felt sharper then the thorns of a nettle bush. Every swing he took, she returned stronger. For a moment the rolling halted, with the rogue on top, hissing and drooling in fury while squishing Duskpaw's chest with her forepaws.

He felt his lungs scream for air as the pressure greatened, and uttered the only word he could, " _Ferretpaw!_ "

And suddenly, the weight lifted. Duskpaw spun quickly to his paws, gasping for breath. Blood from his ear blocked the vision in one eye. Duskpaw glanced around. Had Ferretpaw actually saved him? But then he saw the rogue, swaying on her paws, barely hanging on to consciousness.

Ferretpaw sat cowering in a small tree, unable to make sound it seemed.

"Explain," Duskpaw demanded, catching his breath. Ferretpaw cleared his throat and spoke up, but did not move from his perch.

"S-she's still weak from those berries. I can't believe she even woke up so fast..." he trailed off in awe and fear.

Duskpaw spat out the blood that had now trailed to his mouth, and shook his head. "Well you're just an amazing medicine cat," he mewed sarcastically, "Thanks for the help."

And finally, the rogue spoke up. "You're clan cats, aren't you?" She growled at them with bared teeth. Duskpaw turned his head to look at her. She tried to back up, shaking her head, "I can't let you take me. Never. Not after all I've been through!" She shouted, but began to wobble and tip to one side.

Despite how tired and shamed he was by being saved only by a stroke of luck, Duskpaw gave a small laugh. "You're our prisoner!" He trotted up to her, flinching at the unexpected pain that came from his scratches, and gave her a small shove to make her fall. The demonic rogue suddenly looked like a panicked kit.

"No, no," she tried desperately to stand. Duskpaw was having fun. He was about to push her down again, but Ferretpaw put himself between Duskpaw and the rogue.

Duskpaw hissed. "Move Ferretpaw!"

"No. She's in bad condition. We w-won't hurt her anymore," he mewed nervously and turned to her, "I promise. Please come."

Duskpaw suddenly saw something in her eyes that bruised his fun. Broken pride. Duskpaw felt his heart twist and he turned away.

 _I know how that feels_ , he thought.

"Fine," she mewed at last, "You're lucky I'm coming," she spoke strongly, though it was obvious she couldn't run if she tried. Ferretpaw helped her up, and began walking again towards camp. Duskpaw followed, but refused to meet the rogue's gaze.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw ducked through the entrance of camp and ignored the holler from Smokefoot, the current camp guard, at the sight of the newcomer. Duskpaw looked behind him. Ferretpaw walked next to the rogue, his head low, and followed Duskpaw to the center of camp. The whispers from huddles of cats began in response to the strange scent that filled the clearing, and soon Duskpaw was sure they had the attention of all the cats of the clan. He raised his head in pride to show off his accomplishment. An enemy warrior! He'd saved the Clan! What would Nightmist say? Duskpaw was so busy day-dreaming he didn't even notice Echostar, the white she-cat with a single black spot around her eye. She was the leader of Shadowclan, and she was approaching him.

Duskpaw and Ferretpaw bowed their heads in respect. The rogue held her ground. Echostar glanced at the mangy she-cat.

"Duskpaw. Ferretpaw. What is the meaning of this?" Her eyes were burning with frustration, but her voice remained quite calm. Since Ferretpaw clearly wasn't going to respond, Duskpaw stepped forward.

"We have captured a rogue that was trespassing on our territory!" He announced clearly. He felt the eyes of the clan fall to his scars, so he tried his hardest to show them off. Duskpaw was about to speak again as Echostar waited for more, but Ferretpaw spoke up before he was given the chance.

"Echostar, she's in terrible condition. We'd be heartless not to at least let her rest. She came across deathberries," Ferretpaw looked at his paws, and added in sheepishly, "I even saved her myself."

Duskpaw sensed the clan medicine cat, Brindlestripe, beam with pride at her apprentice. He turned his head to Echostar again, and she'd closed her eyes in thought. The clan was silent. Brindlestripe then stepped forward.

"Healing her would be no trouble," the gentle cat insisted, "and her recovery could do us more good than harm..." she said to Echostar, her eyes hinting something. Duskpaw blinked in confusion. What was she saying?

Echostar narrowed her amber eyes. She stared at the rogue. The rogue met her gaze without flinching.

"What is your name?" Echostar finally asked.

Welcome to Shadowclan

 _Ivy_

Ivy looked up at the leader with weak eyes, then looked back at her front paws, refusing to speak. She refused to break what small bit of dignity she had left. That filthy kit would pay, saying that she was captured. Obviously he needed a few more scars for her message to sink in. She was not captured; she simply agreed to travel with them. Anyways, she had more, slightly less important things to worry about, like the fact that she was in some clan's camp with their leader and every warrior ready to rip out her throat. The only thing saving her was the medicine kit and his mentor. She'd have to return the favor later.

The clan leader spoke up again, "I've asked for your name, rogue."

"Ivy," she spoke loudly and clearly to keep from having to repeat herself.

"Why did you trespass?"

"To stay alive." Ivy was trying her hardest to keep her answers short and sweet.

"What reason do we have not to kill you here and now?"

Ivy took a short breath in and thought carefully about her next words that could either be her savior or her killer. She dug into the farthest reaches of her memory and hoped she correctly interpreted one in particular… besides, why else had she heard of the clans so frequently from where she'd previously lived?

"I believe that I have a bit of information..." Ivy lowered her meow to a whisper so as only this leader could hear the ending of her statement. At this, all eyes bore into her in unison.

 _Ferretpaw_

Ferretpaw looked up from the ground and tilted his head at the strange cat. What information could a rogue give them? His thin brown tail brushed the ground.

 _Even if she did have information, what cat was to say that it would be important to ShadowClan? Who knew where she was from?_ _Then again, she did seem to have some knowledge about the clans…._

Anyway, he figured this information would be the only thing to keep her safe long enough to rest and recuperate before leaving.

After a few moments of hesitation, Echostar decided to have a meeting with a few cats in her den. Brindlestripe gave Ferretpaw a meaningful look as she followed Darkleaf, the deputy, into Echostar's den. He watched as Ferngaze and Fogpath padded into the den as well. The rest of clan broke into excited meows all at once.

"Can she be trusted?"

"Where did she come from?"

"Why is Echostar even considering letting a _rogue_ stay here?"

Ferretpaw took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.

 _Surely they would let Ivy stay…._

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw scooted as close to the huddle of senior warriors in Echostar's den as he could get. He hissed in frustration since he could still barely hear. The sound of the clan anxiously whispering around him drowned out all other noise.

Duskpaw was also confused in general. Ivy couldn't know anything ShadowClan doesn't know. ShadowClan knows everything! Duskpaw frowned and scratched his ear.

More moments passed. In his impatience of waiting, he padded around as if he was going somewhere, so he could walk past Ferretpaw to shoulder him. Then, he didn't know where to go while he was waiting.

He paced and played with some leftover moss on the ground. And finally, after what felt like moons, Echostar emerged with the senior warriors. She gathered the clan's attention with a call.

"We have decided," she mewed loudly so the whole clan could hear but aimed her statement at Ivy, "that we will allow you to stay. And we will welcome any information you'd like to share with us." Echostar stared firmly at the rogue. Ivy hesitated, then dipped her head.

Duskpaw narrowed his eyes. He knew he was mouse-brained sometimes. But it felt like Ivy and the senior warriors knew of something he didn't. Ivy was very unspecific with what information she had, and yet Echostar and other old warriors were very anxious to take it. Has something happened in the past most cats are unaware of? Why wouldn't this problem have been warned to the younger generations? Duskpaw flicked his ears in confusion. He'd ask Nightmist later. Echostar spoke once more, motioning with her tail to Brindlestripe.

"Find Ivy a place to sleep," Echostar craned her head and motioned to Ivy, "and we will talk in the morning. Clan meeting dismissed." All the cats broke apart into little groups, chattering excitedly.

Duskpaw sat there like a cornered mouse, dazed. Nightmist padded up to him.

"Go get those wounds looked at," he ordered, "we still have training tomorrow, you know."

"Nightmist, what-" Duskpaw began, but Nightmist was already bounding toward his mate, Brightflower. Duskpaw flicked his tail in annoyance. He'd talk to Nightmist later. Duskpaw turned away from the direction his mentor went and walked towards the medicine cat den.

 _Ivy_

Ivy breathed a sigh of relief as she followed the medicine kit to the den she would be staying in. She really did have to learn this kit's name. Ivy was sure he played a major part in saving her pelt. He and his mentor both seemed to be very kind considering the fact that she was a "captured rouge" as his friend had called Ivy; she didn't really care whether or not that kit got eaten by a hawk, even less about learning his name.

Ivy walked to her den and stepped inside. For a visitors den, it was very nice.

"Well, I'll let you get settled in and rest. Let me know if you need anything, and I or my mentor will check on you later." The medicine kit smiled and mewed kindly at Ivy.

Ivy nodded and half smiled, half grimaced at the kit. Her wounds just began to hurt. She guessed that the adrenaline from her fight with the obnoxious kit earlier, and the fear of possibly being killed, had worn off and left Ivy in pain.

The medicine kit seemed to notice her grimace, despite her attempts to hide it, and added "I'll bring something back for that," he nodded at a deep gash on her left shoulder. With that, he left Ivy to settle in and think. What was she going to tell this clan's leader in the morning?

She shouldn't have said that she had information anyway; she had so much to say, but she wasn't sure what clan this was anyway, even less how they would react to it. What to say? That her past clan was possibly planning on attacking this clan soon? It would be better to know what clan this is, so that she could prepare better. She'd just have to add that to the things to ask the little medicine kit when he came back.

Ivy padded around the den. It was small, but it was roomy for only her. Ivy found a cozy little corner and curled up in it, closing her eyes as she did. What was she thinking? She couldn't go to sleep! That would be a mistake that obnoxious kit would make. This could all be a trap. She could be ambushed at any moment and she had to be ready. Since she was already expecting an ambush, she was quite ready to attack when the little Medicine Kit appeared at the door.

She crouched low to the ground and bore her fangs.

"Um, Ivy? I have some medicine for your shoulder, and some cob webs in case it starts bleeding later," the medicine Kit sounded unsure of her hostile state, but was determined to see to it that his patient got well.

Ivy straightened and composed herself. The last thing she wanted to do is scare off one of the two cats that help her escape certain death.

"Ivy, are you alright?" the Kit padded up to her and gave her the leaf he had brought. "Chew that." he instructed and place the cobwebs near where she had laid down earlier, and turning to look at her with concerned eyes.

Ivy nodded, did what she was told, and sat down. "Yeah, I'm fine," she looked at the kit, "but I don't think I ever caught your name." Ivy said.

"Oh! I-I'm Ferretpaw. Now spit that out onto this." He pushed some of the cobwebs towards her. She did what she was told and Ferretpaw wrapped the cobweb around her leg.

"Oh, thanks," she said as she felt immediate relief, "and what clan is this?"

"Shadowclan. I thought Duskpaw mentioned that earlier, but I wouldn't blame you if you ignored him; that's the only way I can stand him." Ferretpaw said and smiled.

 _Ferretpaw_

Ivy purred at that, and Ferretpaw couldn't help but do the same. He watched as she yawned and repositioned herself. He frowned, suddenly realizing that he'd forgotten to get bedding for her.

"Oh, hold on, I'll be right back." He hurried out of the den and fetched some moss for her, noticing that it would soon be time for him to get some sleep. Upon padding back into the den, he set the moss in front of Ivy.

"I thought you'd be more comfortable that way." He wasn't looking at her, but at his shuffling paws. She meowed her thanks quietly and began working the moss into a proper nest. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, but his questions would have to wait. Brindlestripe wouldn't be happy if she found out that he'd kept her up.

"I'd better let you get some rest." He turned to leave, but as soon as he was setting a paw out of the entrance, Duskpaw sauntered into the den. Ferretpaw rolled his eyes in annoyance. Duskpaw always had to cause problems.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw stumbled over to the Medicine Cat den, and stood at the entrance. The scent of herbs, sharp, sweet, and bitter, wreathed his nose, causing him to sneeze. Brindlestripe, who had her head bent over herbs, suddenly shot her head up at the sound.

"Duskpaw... I was guessing you'd need some marigold," she mewed gently. Duskpaw never even tried to understand those herb names, but he meowed in thanks, and padded over to let her apply what she need.

Duskpaw sniffed the air. "Where'd ya put Ivy?" He asked her, and as he did, Ferretpaw appeared at the entrance to the den, wearing a frown, which in turn, made Duskpaw smile. Brindlestripe chirped to summon Ferrretpaw.

"I'll let you finish dressing his wounds," Brindlestripe sighed, "Cloudeye's paws are aching again."

Ferretpaw's face screwed up, but he nodded his head, and watched Brindlestripe trot out to the elder's den.

"See these wounds," Duskpaw was telling Ferretpaw as he fixed him up, "these are the scars of a _real_ warrior."

Unfortunately, Ferretpaw was ignoring him. And Duskpaw wouldn't push him now when he was the paw fixing his pelt.

"So... do you know anything new about Ivy?" Duskpaw tried to casually ask.

"No."

"Well I'll be sure to visit you tomorrow to ask again."

Ferretpaw was trying hard to make sure Duskpaw wouldn't get on his nerves. Duskpaw yawned, bored, and suddenly remembered his odd thoughts in the meeting.

"Eh, but um, I was wondering," Duskpaw awkwardly asked, "have you noticed anything... odd about the way the senior warriors are acting about Ivy?"

Ferretpaw stopped dressing. "No... yes? I don't know."

Duskpaw actually wanted to ask more, but that would be releasing more of his dominance towards Ferretpaw. He'd already released enough. He needed to be careful. Duskpaw stood up and made sure to bump into Ferretpaw, and left without saying anything else. He marched to the apprentice's den and settled down next to Silentpaw, and drifted away in actual thoughts.

 _Ivy_

It was getting very late, Ivy knew that. She was very tired, but she couldn't go to sleep.

 _...Think about the ambush_ , she would remind herself every time she felt herself drifting off into sleep. This time it didn't work though and she allowed sleep to take her.

When she woke up the next morning, she didn't know what to think. She was still alive, and it was odd that she found that such a surprise. When she opened her eyes, she found a freshly killed mouse sitting just across the room. She wasn't sure if it was alright to eat, but she was starving. Other than the berries that had almost been her end, she had had nothing to eat since...well...almost a three days. That was not like her. At the moment she didn't really care. She was going to eat and that's that.

As she began to devour her meal, she sensed a cat behind her, watching. This must be the ambush. Pretending she didn't notice, she tensed her muscles. She couldn't tell who it was, but she knew she had smelled this cat before, and she knew it was not the leader or Ferretpaw, she made sure she got to know those scents. The cat seemed to be coming nearer.

 _Yeah, that's right... just a... few... more... steps... YES!_ Ivy finished her thoughts and leapt on her attacker.

"Getoffme! MOUSEBRAIN! It's not like I'm here to kill you!"

 _Oh yeah_ , she recognized that scent now, and that obnoxious voice.

"I don't care." Ivy only pushed her paws down harder onto Duskpaw's chest. She could work on teaching this kit a lesson now, and a little later when he's not expecting it...again.

"What do you want, foxbrain?"

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw squirmed underneath Ivy, but couldn't get free.

He puffed out breath. "Hey look, you're so fat, you've pinned me!"

Ivy hissed. "I asked you a question. What do you want?"

What _did_ Duskpaw want? He wanted to ask her questions, but he didn't know what to ask.

"I..." Duskpaw was lost for words. "I wanted to ask you something," he mewed, confusing himself. Ivy frowned and shoved him away from her.

"Whether or not I'll answer depends on the question," Ivy looked up and down Duskpaw, "and considering the fact that it's you asking the questions... that also cuts on answers."

Duskpaw growled, and steadied his paws. "I want to know why your knowledge frightens my leader. You must've known it would! So you obviously know something about my clan that I don't."

Ivy grinned eerily. "Oh, but your clan would _never_ allow something to go over unheard of, for future's sake, I'm sure."

"Come on, Ivy!"

She was about to speak again, but Duskpaw decided to leave, since Ivy had the upper paw and was in no mood to help. But while he was stomping out, he ran into Ferretpaw.

 _Ferretpaw_

With an _oof_ and a shake of his head, Ferretpaw looked up and realized it was Duskpaw that'd run into him.

"Duskpaw!" He looked over the other apprentice's should and saw Ivy narrowing her eyes at the back of Duskpaw's head. Suddenly, Ferretpaw felt protective of her. She was his patient and it was his job to make sure that she stayed comfortable and without excitement.

He turned back to Duskpaw with an annoyed expression. "You were bothering her, weren't you?" He quickly squeezed by him, walking over to Ivy and looking her over. She wore an unamused frown. He mewed in a quiet voice that only she could hear, "Don't let him rile you up. He's mouse-brained, and he's not worth it." He said it more because he himself was angry at Duskpaw than to help her, but it wasn't bad advice…even though Ferretpaw himself wasn't very good at following it.

 _Ivy_

Ivy turned her glare and looked down at Ferretpaw, nodding her head and smiling. This kit had a sense of humor, whether or not he cared to show it to his little friend or not. Ivy was very grateful to have this little kit around, and he was probably the only one keeping Duskpaw from being ripped to shreds, though now that she thought of it, the kit wanted answers, and she had them. This could be fun. Ivy winced as Ferretpaw prodded the area around her wound.

"Yeah, the pain will go away soon. The poison from the Deathberries probably spread into it, making it tender. Once it runs its course, your wound should be just fine. Which reminds me. I want you to come visit me later okay? Of, course that's after you discuss things with Echostar." Ferretpaw said obviously trying to decide whether or not he wanted to share what he wanted to discuss right now. Ivy hissed. She'd forgotten all about that.

"What time do you need to meet her?" Ferretpaw asked, finally finishing up with Ivy's wounds.

"Now."

A clear voice rang through the den. Echostar walked over to the two cats, wearing a gentle expression on her slender face.

Both cats bowed. Ivy wasn't sure quite why she bowed, but she did. At this point, Duskpaw ran into the den, out of breath, but obviously concerned about something.


	4. Chapter 5 and 6

_Author here! I figured it was time to give some context to the story. This Warriors fanfiction does not try to be canon with the rest of the Warriors arcs. It's more like an alternate timeline; it could exist in the regular Warriors universe, but it definitely does not as it stands. It takes place in the old forest territory, and of course, it takes place within ShadowClan. It also exists sometime after the disappearance of SkyClan and before the events of the original Warriors series and the supereditions that come before them. Please bear in mind, the last time this author has read any warriors was 6 or 7 years ago. Anything that has happened since then, I am not aware of. I have also noticed that some of my formatting doesn't carry over onto , so I will try to make it more clear where the perspective changes occur without those formatting options. As always, all credit goes to the Erin for writing this wonderful series, and some more credit goes to the people who contributed to this particular work._

A loss

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw felt like his eyes could bleed from what he saw, and they must've been rounder than the moon. He panted hard but had not run far. He was even feeling his breakfast come up. Just heartbeats ago, Duskpaw charged away from Ivy, but when he stepped a paw outside of camp, he saw-

"Nettleheart," he croaked to his leader and his clanmates, and he suddenly lost the ability to speak in shock.

But he didn't need to speak anymore. He began to hear the shocked cries of the rest of his clanmates from outside of the den. Echostar looked at Ivy, then leaped for the center of the chaos. Duskpaw blankly followed, along with Ivy, whose face was simply filled with curiosity, and Ferretpaw, who hadn't even seen the horror but his face reflected Duskpaw's. Echostar stepped just outside of camp and pushed the haunted crowd of cats aside, still leading Duskpaw, Ivy, and Ferretpaw.

"What's happened?" She demanded, but when her eyes fell on the blood-matted body of Nettleheart, she asked no more, but stared with a blank face in silence. Duskpaw saw Ferngaze, a senior warrior and Nettleheart's mother, moaning from the pain of her lost son.

Darkleaf came and sat next to Echostar. He was silent. Duskpaw just waited, as nothing but the sounds of the mournful clan echoed the dark pine trees.

Darkleaf finally leaned toward Echostar and spoke in a whisper, but Duskpaw overheard.

"He'd only just become a warrior. He played no part in this war," Darkleaf hissed very quietly and stared at Echostar, but she only turned away her head, her ears back. Duskpaw felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up.

 _What... war?_ What could the warriors be talking about? Duskpaw steadied himself, trying to hear more. But Echostar stilled refused to respond to Darkleaf.

"He's dead. Just bringing you back into reality," Darkleaf growled at her again, a bit louder. He glared at the leader who still ignored him, paused, then leapt away back towards camp.

Echostar waited a moment longer, and then summoned some she-cats including Brindlestripe, who'd only just run up to the scene, to carry the body back to camp and clean it. But that would be a hard task. The worst part about this obvious cat-murder was that... the victim had been killed to torture. There was no clean bite on his neck. Only many, many, scratches, even coating his eyes, ears, tailed ripped... Duskpaw felt dizzy and squeezed his eyes shut as the cats carried his body past.

He heard Echostar call for what Nettleheart had been doing when he was last seen. Duskpaw turned and slowly padded to his den, ignoring all else, keeping his eyes shut and letting his other senses guide him, mind twisting with questions, giving him a headache.

But he never made it, he was intercepted by the scent of Silentpaw. Duskpaw opened his eyes. He sincerely didn't want to speak with anyone at the moment.

Before he could speak, she whispered, "Tell me what you noticed above all with Nettleheart's death." Duskpaw didn't understand. Silentpaw had seen Nettleheart's body too, he was sure.

"H-he... wasn't killed quickly," Duskpaw didn't want to describe deeper.

Silentpaw nodded. "So how could we not have heard his screams?" She whispered still, as more cats began filling camp, and gathering around Nettleheart's body.

Duskpaw didn't want to think, and Silentpaw answered herself anyways, "Because he must've been killed much farther away. This proves that not only does the murderer have a setup somewhere close enough to here to be able to track a lone cat down, but also _intentionally_ put his body next to camp. As if to scare us."

Silentpaw seemed to be waiting for Duskpaw to say something, but his mind was lost in deep thought by her words.

 _And there was no scent of an enemy at the death scene, leading to it or around it, though Echostar sent out a patrol to search_ , thought Duskpaw. _What does this all mean?_

Silentpaw began meowing again, "The matter of how this was done is not what picks at me," she mewed darkly as if reading Duskpaw's thoughts, "it is the question of... why? Why Nettleheart? And why would the murderer wish to frighten us?" Silentpaw closed her eyes, and opened them up with a curious twinkle in them, and Duskpaw couldn't decipher it's meaning. And then she was gone. Duskpaw hadn't even uttered a sound. What could Silentpaw have been hinting at?

Duskpaw felt his fur begin to stand on end once more. It must have something to do with this war that Darkleaf spoke of, and the strange wants of Echostar and the senior warriors to Ivy. Somehow, this was all linked. Duskpaw knew it was. And what had Silentpaw known? He craned his head, looking for her, wishing he'd told her more, but she'd disappeared. He needed to talk to someone. Someone who'd give him answers.

"Come Duskpaw, we're going hunting," Nightmist suddenly appeared next to Duskpaw, pushing him away.

"What? Nightmist, I need to-"

"The Clan still needs prey... even if we lose a young warrior..." Nightmist sighed, and padded away. Duskpaw dragged his tail, and followed behind, utterly lost.

 _Ferretpaw_

Ferretpaw couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He stood in silence, watching as Brindlestripe hurried away to help. She looked scared, but she knew her place, and she stayed calm in the confusing, scary situation. He wished that he could be as strong as she was. He went after her, and nearly fainted at the sight. He shut his eyes and turned his head away. Just the day before he'd talked to Nettleheart about being a warrior. He was so excited, so energetic to finally be where he felt he belonged. It was too much to handle. Nettleheart didn't deserve this. No cat did, but especially not Nettleheart. He was kind and young, and too good for a death like this. Why him? What would make any cat hurt Nettleheart?

When he opened his eyes, they were already a few foxlengths ahead, carefully carrying the body back to camp. His legs felt like lead, but he had to move. He pulled himself along and caught up to them, squeezing in between two cats to help them carry Nettleheart back to camp. He wasn't thinking, and he was hardly paying attention to anything that was going on, he just knew that he had to follow his mentor's lead and know his responsibility even in difficult situations.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw kept pace with his mentor. He also felt sick to his stomach. And his head hurt. In fact... were his paws cramping up?!

"Nightmist, I think I'm sick," groaned Duskpaw, dragging his paws heavily.

Nightmist sighed, "Every cat feels like that after seeing his first death. You must be strong and pull through it."

"No, I must REALLY be sick."

"It's all in your head, Duskpaw."

Duskpaw growled and dragged his paws harder. Nightmist's ears went flat in frustration.

"Great StarClan Duskpaw, you're going to scare all the prey away from here to RiverClan territory!" Nightmist hissed, turned his head around to face Duskpaw. Duskpaw halted and looked at his paws. "You need to start trying harder for your Clan, Duskpaw," Nightmist meowed, now becoming more sympathetic.

"But I am trying!" Insisted Duskpaw. _Sometimes things were just kinda hard,_ he thought to himself.

Nightmist shook his head, "You're a strong young cat," he mewed, "with lots of spirit. You could be doing better. You just need to focus more."

" _I am focusing_."

"Obviously if you're yelling at your mentor instead of hunting, _you're not focusing_ ," Nightmist hissed.

Duskpaw flattened his ears. "If you hadn't started it, I wouldn't be yelling at you!" Duskpaw growled at his mentor.

Nightmist sighed. "Think of it this way, Duskpaw," Nightmist calmed himself again, "times are hard, but that means it's hard for all of the clan as well. And that only gives us more of a reason to work, right?" He questioned his apprentice.

Duskpaw narrowed his eyes and looked away. "...sure." Why wouldn't someone help him then? Why did Duskpaw have to do all the work?

"You'll understand when you grow up," Nightmist now teased, flicking Duskpaw's ear with his tail. Duskpaw wasn't amused, but said nothing else. Then, he remembered, he needed to ask Nightmist about the "war", whether or not Duskpaw was irritated with him. Nightmist began to walk again, but Duskpaw halted him with a "Wait." Nightmist slowly turned around once more.

"Yes, Duskpaw?" Duskpaw thought for a moment. I better position my question as if I know what everyone else does, to see how he reacts first, thought Duskpaw.

"...someone murdered Nettleheart. And he had no scent on him. Who do you think did it?" Duskpaw could sense Nightmist's fur beginning to stand on end.

"It could have been a fox, we don't know it was murder," he answered casually.

"Except that a fox or anything besides a cat wouldn't have been smart enough to cover their scent," Duskpaw reasoned, "besides, those were obviously cat scratches."

Nightmist uncomfortablely shifted his paws, but only slightly, and answered. "I don't see why any other clan has an argument with us, but Echostar will question them at the next gathering." He answered casually once more, but it was obvious he was nervous. Duskpaw narrowed his eyes, but asked no more. The mentor and apprentice continued hunting, without a word.

Duskpaw returned to camp with his paws aching. The moon was high, and Nettleheart's body lay in the middle of camp. Duskpaw noticed Ferretpaw sitting close to him. Duskpaw tipped his head to one side. Had they been friends? Duskpaw didn't really know Nettleheart. But he knew he'd been made a warrior quite recently. Duskpaw noticed his mother, Ferngaze, staring hauntingly at nothing, or maybe something, far beyond her son as she lay next to his body. Duskpaw felt a chill go down his spine.

He started heading towards his den. He stopped as he overheard some nervous whispering from cats around camp. _It won't be long until I'm not the only one complaining about a murderer on the loose,_ thought Duskpaw. Duskpaw looked back toward the body of the young warrior. He decided he should probably say goodbye to the friendly tomcat. Duskpaw was suddenly sad, even though he hardly knew the cat, he'd spoken a few times. Duskpaw padded over and settled down next to Ferngaze. He put his nose against the dead warrior's flank, and whispered a farewell.

Then he paused.

"But... why?" He whispered to himself.

"It's all my fault," he heard a whisper in response, and almost jumped out of his fur! But he turned his head to see it was only Ferngaze who'd spoken.

He sighed, "Ferngaze, it couldn't have been your fault." The poor she-cat. Duskpaw wished then he could love somebody. He'd been born to a single mother, who died out of pain of her betraying mate. The medicine cats said it was a severe stomach ache, but Duskpaw wasn't fooled. And he didn't have any siblings. And he didn't like Nightmist. And he didn't like anyone.

Ferngaze spoke again, pain in her voice, speaking so softly it was barely audible. "But... it was."

 _It was what?_ Duskpaw'd forgotten through his thoughts _. Oh! It was her fault._

Duskpaw shook his head... then... he felt his fur begin to stand on end, and could barely keep it down. Ferngaze was a senior cat. Could it have... actually been result of revenge in this "war"? Duskpaw's head shot up.

He only just noticed Ferretpaw sitting across from him. He seemed lost in thoughts. Had he heard Ferngaze? Had anyone else at all?

Footsteps from across the clearing caused his head to turn once more. It seemed every time he did that he became more horrified.

Echostar was leaving Ivy's den, a blank face as usual, with Darkleaf, who appeared more panicked. Ivy then stepped out of the den, sighed, and padded slowly towards he and Ferretpaw. Duskpaw felt hopeful she would talk to him, but she nudged Ferretpaw, who was then brought back to reality, and whispered something to him Duskpaw couldn't make it out. Ferretpaw nodded slowly, and the two of them stood and turned, and then walked back to Ivy's den.

Duskpaw felt his heart twist. But he didn't like them anyways. He mirrored the two, except he stumbled back to the apprentice den.

Silentpaw lay there, but she was wide awake. She greeted Duskpaw with a friendly blink, but he growled at her and flopped onto his nest, back away from her.

"Do you want to talk?" She asked gently. Duskpaw ignored her and slid back into his thoughts. He considered what Nightmist had said. Nightmist had pretty much given away he knew everything, and refused to tell Duskpaw. _"I don't see why any of the other Clans would have an argument with us,"_ Nightmist had said something like that. And he was right, it didn't seem like they would. Duskpaw had been considering it was Thunderclan. Could it be rogues? Duskpaw halted his thoughts. Ivy was a rogue. She had information. But... did rogues interact with each other? Maybe Ivy'd just been spying on the other clans. Still... Duskpaw remembered what Silentpaw said to him before. She'd talked about the murderer being slightly close by. Was she hinting another clan? But it obvious the other clans were close. Maybe she'd come to the conclusion, somehow...

"Rogues?" Duskpaw asked aloud. He hadn't expected Silentpaw to reply, as if she was reading his mind once more.

"Yes," she mewed quietly, "I do think..."

Secrets

 _Ivy_

"Echostar, I swear to Starclan that it wasn't a rogue that killed your warrior." Ivy said. She had decided that now was the best time to give out what information she had.

"Ivy, I admire your loyalty, but all the signs-"

"It. Wasn't. A. Rogue." Ivy interrupted the Shadowclan leader flatly.

"Fine, and just how do you know this?" Echostar asked quizingly.

"We follow a code." Ivy informed.

"I'm sorry, a what?" Echostar asked. Ivy was quickly growing tired of this game.

"You heard me Echostar. We follow a code. No rogue would have tortured any cat like that. We are silently banned together. There isn't really anyone to enforce this, but it's an unspoken law. No, it most definitely wasn't a rogue." Ivy said pinning her ears back. By this point, she was really thinking aloud more than anything.

"Alright, say it wasn't a rogue. What do you believe to have murdered the warrior?" Echostar asked, growing more curious by the second.

"All of the signs point to Bloodclan." Ivy stated, bracing herself for laughter; but it did not come. Instead came a hiss and a piercing pain in Ivy's left ear. Ivy opened her eyes, which she did not notice before that she had closed, and saw Echostar glaring at her.

Though Echostar's bite hurt, Ivy stayed calm and did not let that show.

"How dare you waste my time with this nonsense! Bloodclan died out moons ago." Echostar hissed.

"I am telling you the truth. Bloodclan has been planning attacks on the clans for moons now!" Ivy hissed back, becoming increasingly irritated with this cat.

"Oh, and what makes you so sure!" Echostar scoffed. Ivy turned so that her flank was revealed, wielding an old scar.

"This. This is what I got trying to escape from that clan! I was born into Bloodclan!"

 _Ferretpaw_

Ferretpaw stared down at the body of the young warrior. His mind was filled with so many different thoughts. He felt like he was drowning in all of them, hoping that someone would save him. They were all questions, every single one of his suffocating thoughts. Why? What had Nettleheart done? Where was he when all of this happened? But the most important-the one that he knew what on every cat's mind…who? Who could commit the murder of an innocent cat? Because he was, wasn't he? Nettleheart had to be innocent. …But there was that thought…the one nagging at the very darkest corners of his mind. Was Nettleheart truly innocent? Ferretpaw hated himself for even coming up with the idea but…the murder of a cat that had done absolutely nothing wrong just so that they could murder another cat? Something didn't sound right. And if that was the case, what was the reason, if Nettleheart hadn't done anything wrong? To send a message, perhaps? But what was the message, and, once again, who was sending it? He wanted to stop thinking, stop breathing. Only for a few moments. Only long enough for him to make sense of all of this madness. He found himself wishing to be drowned by these thoughts. That way, at least, he could find some peace.

"Ferretpaw…I need to talk to you."

He had to control himself. He had to stay calm. The small apprentice took a relaxing breath and nodded slowly.

 _This is good_ , he tried to tell himself. _You've wanted to talk with her about what she knows for a while_.

He tried to convince himself, but the thoughts kept raging, and he stopped trying to make them cease.

Ferretpaw glanced up as they were walking away, and his eyes fell on Duskpaw, stumbling into the apprentice den. His final thoughts before stepping into the low-lit den, was how lucky that stupid cat was. He could sleep now and clear his mind, but Ferretpaw still had many things to deal with.

Ivy sat in a corner of the den, curling her dark, fluffy tail over her paws. Ferretpaw sat near the middle, nervously shuffling his paws. Her green eyes studied him for a while, and finally rested on his own dark brown eyes. He could sense her nervousness, even if she did a better job at hiding it than he did. "I know you want to know what information I wanted to tell your leader," she began with a level, calm voice. "But that's not…that's not what I wanted to talk to you about…not totally."

This caught Ferretpaw off guard. If not that, then what did the she-cat want to speak with him about.

"I wanted to speak with you about the murder. Who did you think did it?" Her words were hurried and low, like she was worried that others would hear. She really had no reason to worry because the whole Clan must've been talking about that, but he didn't care to mention that to her.

He stopped shuffling his paws and tilted his head to the side a bit. "I have no idea what did it. It could've been anything, couldn't it?"

This answer didn't please her. She took a sharp breath and glanced around hurriedly. "You must have some idea! You are a smart cat, Ferretpaw! Think!"

"What are you getting at, Ivy? What do you know about this?"

Ivy was reluctant to actually tell him anything. He saw her tail sway behind her, and her breath seemed to become even more shallow. "Look, I'm not going to be specific. Just—" She cut herself off, taking a huge breath. "Just remember that…to think that your four clans are the only powers out there strong enough to control this forest is a very ignorant way of thinking."

That was the last thing she said to him. He stared at her, his mind, once again, muddled in thought. So another clan was trying to take over the forest? With just one murder? That didn't make any sense! Ivy yawned and turned away from him as she curled up in her corner, trying to give him the hint that it was time for him to go. He nodded and padded out of the den, for once simply yearning for sleep.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw was hunting. A butterfly. What a beautiful butterfly. Duskpaw could even be friends with it, except he was sure it had to die. He crouched, preparing to slaughter it, when he felt something attack him from his left flank. A single vicious slash. But when he turned to face an enemy, there was nothing there. Suddenly, it felt like cats were covering him, scratching his, ripping his fur off. And it felt like he was choking on something, he couldn't breathe. He couldn't call for help!

"Wake up Duskpaw! Your mentor's yelling at _me_ for _you_ oversleeping!" An angry voice hissed.

Duskpaw jolted awake. A giant fluffy tail was stuffed up his nose, and Foxpaw was poking him from all sides.

" _Come on,_ " She growled, pulling her tail away. Duskpaw hissed and slowly pulled himself to his paws. Duskpaw hated everything. He didn't want to wake up. Why is everything so hard and confusing for him?

When Duskpaw dragged himself out of the den, Silentpaw and Foxpaw were already out, chatting. Or... mostly Silentpaw. Duskpaw tried to get his eyes to adjust to the light.

"We're all on elder duty this morning, Duskpaw," Silentpaw mewed to him as he sat down next to the other apprentices with a _thump_. Duskpaw moaned at the thought.

 _Picking their ticks, hunting for them, cleaning their beds out... great_ , he thought.

"They'll probably tell us great stories while we're working," Silentpaw tried to start another conversation, eyes bright. Foxpaw snorted.

"Yeah, stories about how they made it all the way to the dirtplace," she hissed.

It seemed Silentpaw was usually talking for everyone because of her two negative denmates. Every now and again though, one of the negatives would make a smart-brained comment to the silver she cat's positivity. Duskpaw found this amusing. But Silentpaw's spirits were never crushed, as her eyes were still bright.

"Let all cats old enough to stalk in the night gather around the Branch for a Clan meeting!" Echostar's voice, well, echoed through the camp. Cats emerged from every crack and crevice to go towards the leader perched on a low branch just above her den. Duskpaw saw Ferretpaw scurry out of the medicine cat den, his face more defocused than usual, lost in thought. Duskpaw also saw Ivy take a step out of her den, but only one, to watch the meeting.

"There's been much worry about the murder of Nettleheart," the leader spoke loudly, but calmly, "but I assure you, we're all safe. I've doubled the number of patrols-" a few young cats hissed in protest "-and number of guards. And we are still unsure of the cat or cats that carry Nettleheart's blood on their paws, but we will not rest until they're found!"

That uproared some cheers from a few cats, but most stayed silent, or whispered to their neighbor. Duskpaw saw Ivy's eyes narrow. What was she thinking?

"Clan meeting dismissed. Please stop by Darkleaf to see your patrol scheduling." All the cats split up. Duskpaw was felt surprise shoot through him. Hadn't his leader said she'd no clue who the murderer could possibly be? And yet, the day of the murder... the scene between she and Darkleaf…

His leader was lying.

Duskpaw didn't know how or why, but she was lying. And... Ivy knew it too! Yes, they'd spoken yesterday, Echostar and Ivy. And that means Ivy knows who the murderer is! He had to talk to her!

"Duskpaw, is your head full of bees?" Foxpaw's loud mew crashed through his thoughts.

"Foxpaw, you musn't talk like that to him. He's tired from last night," Silentpaw defended him.

"Yeah well, we all are," Foxpaw insisted.

"I'm not tired anyways!" Duskpaw hissed at them.

"Please, we have work to do..." Silentpaw motioned toward the elder's den. So the three of them began padding over. How would Duskpaw talk to Ivy with all his work? More importantly, would he be able to talk to her at all? Ivy already hated Duskpaw, so why would she suddenly open up to him? Perhaps he could talk to Echostar? ...but no, she wouldn't give him information, plus, then she'd keep a close eye on him. Or any of the older warriors? Who could he ask?

Then an idea popped into Duskpaw's head. Who was a close friend of Ivy's, it seemed? Who had talked to her last night just as Echostar left Ivy after talking? Ferretpaw! She wouldn't have summoned him to discuss anything else. He must know. She must've told him everything! It was perfect!

Duskpaw entered the elder's den. Cloudeyes welcomed the apprentices with a rusty greeting, which triggered Eagleclaw to hiss at him for greeting them before he did. Breezetail was sound asleep.

"She has loads of ticks, I know she does!" Eagleclaw insisted.

"You don't know anything, Eagleclaw," growled Cloudeyes.

Duskpaw sighed. _Just make it through this_ , he told himself, _then to Ferretpaw._

 _Ivy_

With most cats in the Clan gone, Ivy needed something to do. This attack could have been her fault anyway. One of the warriors could have been tracking her all along, they could have seen this was the Clan that took Ivy in, and tortured the warrior for information about her plans.

"Stop it." Ivy hissed at herself, "you aren't helping anyone beating yourself up like this." She had to find Echostar. Right now.

Ivy headed out of her den and started searching for the leader. After the previous night in the leader's den, it was vital to get Echostar to understand her points.

"Echostar!" Ivy called out, hoping to get a response; but no response came. A few cats who were rushing from den to den stopped and stared sadly at the leader's den. That was enough of an answer for Ivy. cautiously stepping inside the den, Ivy saw Echostar sitting facing a wall of the den.

"Echostar, we really need to talk." Ivy began but was interrupted by a whisper.

"Bloodclan can't be back. They just can't be." Ivy assumed that it was Echostar speaking and that she had not just simply gone crazy in all of the chaos.

Ivy narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me? What do you mean 'back'?" She leaned in to be able to hear her better. "They never left! I thought I told you that last time we-" Ivy was getting irritated, but she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Ivy, you don't know everything you think you do." Echostar's voice had grown stronger, "Bloodclan DID die out a few moons ago, but only for a short while. We thought we had vanquished them for good, but if the Clans couldn't even do it banned together..." Echostar's voice became weak again and trailed off again, "We're protecting you. They want you back, don't they? You escaped their Clan and you know too much." Echostar finally completed her thought.

"Wait, if it's me they want… fine! They can have me! I don't care anymore! I'm not going to let other cats die for me!" Ivy screeched hysterically, " I'll walk right to them now!" Ivy began to march out of the den, but Echostar leapt in front of her, obviously regaining her strength.

"As noble as that is Ivy, it won't help. Bloodclan has had a bone to pick with ShadowClan for many, many moons. They aren't just after you, they're after revenge. The worst thing you can do right now is give yourself up. You are our greatest weapon right now, and our top priority. Now I need you to tell me everything you know. _Everything._ " Echostar said and walked to the entrance of her den. Great. Ivy finally found something to do; sit back and talk while cats died to protect her. This was the last thing she wanted.

Ferretpaw should have just let the Deathberries finish her.

 _Ferretpaw_

Ferretpaw had been running around all day. Brindlestripe was constantly having him getting more herbs and berries—he hardly had time to think! Finally she was giving him time for a break. He found a shady spot in camp and sat down, taking a few moments to catch his breath. Every cat was busy. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the other apprentices coming out of the elders' den. Silentpaw was trying to tell Foxpaw that she really should be nicer to the elders, but Foxpaw was hissing at her to mind her own business.

He frowned when he didn't see Duskpaw, but then he realized that he'd come out a few seconds before the others. He looked deep in thought, and he seemed to be looking for someone. Probably Ivy, Ferretpaw thought. …Come to think of it, where was Ivy? He scanned the camp for her but didn't see her. He hadn't seen her in her den when he went in there before, so where was she?

"Ferretpaw!"

It was Duskpaw who tore him from his thoughts. He was frowning and he seemed like he had a reason to come, not just the normal, "Oh I'm just bored so I'm going to poke fun at you," thing the apprentice normally did. Somehow, this unknown reason worried Ferretpaw more than the pointless bullying sessions.

He couldn't help but shuffle his paws a bit as he replied, "Yes?"

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw stared down at the small apprentice. How would he word this? He didn't want to seem like he actually needed help.

Duskpaw puffed out his chest. "D-don't pretend you don't know why I'm here!" Duskpaw thought that sounded way better in his mind before he said it.

Ferretpaw looked worried, but unconvinced. "I don't," Ferretpaw mewed.

"Oh, well... um..." What was Duskpaw doing? He expected Ferretpaw to say that, and to counter it with something threatening.

 _I'm really losing my touch with all this_ , thought Duskpaw. But he needed to know, to save the Clan... or something. He just needed to know! But now Duskpaw's mind was reeling with why he needed to figure all of what he'd thought about in the past few days.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tiny mew. "What were you saying, Duskpaw?" Ferretpaw questioned politely. Duskpaw's tongue went dry.

"You.. um... you... KNOW!" Duskpaw was suddenly frightened by Ferretpaw's knowledge. "YOU TALKED TO IVY!" Duskpaw hissed loudly, and Ferretpaw's eyes became wide. "SHE TOLD YOU EVERYTHING! ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON! ABOUT-" Duskpaw's screaming was cut off by Ferretpaw tackling him.

"DUSKPAW, YOU HAVE TO BE QUIET... cats are staring!" He whispered loudly in Duskpaw's ear.

Duskpaw growled, "GET OFF ME!" And pushed Ferretpaw off, crouching down to prepare to attack once more. Ferretpaw hissed in panic, and glanced around.

"Stop stop! Just calm down and I-I'll talk!" Duskpaw realized his fur was standing on end, and cats _were_ staring. He felt his fur become hot with embarrassment. Duskpaw was going to explain, but Ferretpaw nipped his tail to get his attention, and led him into a bush at the side of the camp. Duskpaw sat down heavily, feeling incredibly tired suddenly.

"I don't know what you think I know," Ferretpaw meowed, shaking his head, "but Ivy didn't really tell me anything."

Duskpaw bared his teeth. "You're lying!" He growled.

"N-no, it's true! She wouldn't tell me about what she and Echostar spoke about..."

"She must've said something!" Duskpaw was becoming desperate. And sad, for no reason. He hated it. "Please, Ferretpaw!" Duskpaw was begging, and completely at Ferretpaw's will now. What had he come to?

Ferretpaw shuffled his paws, "w-well, there was one thing she said, it didn't make sense..." Duskpaw stuck his ears up.

"You have to tell me!" Ferretpaw paused for a moment, then pulled himself up to where his eyes met Duskpaw's. He stared in them for awhile. And after what could have been moons or heartbeats, he finally spoke.

"Why?"

Duskpaw felt his heart begin to beat faster. He didn't want to tell Ferretpaw. "Why what?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" Ferretpaw spoke strongly. " _You_ obviously know something yourself! So that's it. An eye for an eye. You tell me, I tell you." Duskpaw growled, and wondered how much he could beat Ferretpaw up to get him to talk. But...

"Fine," Duskpaw mewed. Ferretpaw seemed as shocked as Duskpaw was to have agreed to speak. "I can't believe it if you haven't actually figured out things yourself." Ferretpaw flicked his ears, and looked at the ground, waiting, and thinking, it seemed. Duskpaw took a deep breath. "I've heard things. Remember the day Ivy came? Echostar seemed so desperate for answers from Ivy. Except she didn't even know _what_ Ivy could have to say. Unless she was waiting for something. Something that had happened in the past." Duskpaw paused and looked at Ferretpaw, whose eyes had become wide once more. "And the day of Nettleheart's death," Duskpaw continued, "I guess I heard something I shouldn't have. Darkleaf and Echostar talking. Darkleaf told Echostar... this wasn't his... "war". Like he knew who'd caused the death. And Echostar was acting strangely... ignorant to that." Duskpaw screwed up his face in thought.

"And how all the older cats responded. They've all been... dodgy. Even Nightmist, who usually forces me to assess a situation, tried his best to ignore my questions on the subject. They all know! And Ferngaze! The night of Nettleheart's death," Duskpaw breathed, "she told me his death was her fault, in her pain. I thought she was crazy at first... but maybe it WAS her fault? Maybe the death had been played for her, and all of the senior cats. Because Nettleheart's body," Duskpaw remembered what he and Silentpaw spoke about, "it was so beaten and tortured, how could we not hear his screams? And his body was placed directly next to camp, with no scent covering it. Meaning the killer wants us to know they're out there and unafraid, but don't want us to know exactly where they are. Someone's nearby, who had problems with us in the past. And the senior cats are aware. And I need to know... who? Or what?" Duskpaw felt like he might go insane. "I know it's not the Clans. It couldn't be, it doesn't make sense. The way the elders fear them. It must be a rogue. Or... I think a small group, somehow smart enough to band together. Because Ivy's a rogue, too, and she knows," Duskpaw squeezed his eyes shut.

Then he heard Ferretpaw's quiet mew, "or perhaps... a very large group. Something that's always been around, and who're smart, and who crave nothing but power." Duskpaw opened his eyes, waiting for more.

Ferretpaw was nodding to himself, "what Ivy told me, she told me it would be ignorant of the Clans to assume that they were the only group powerful enough to rule the forest." Ferretpaw's fur was starting to stand on end. "Duskpaw... there's something really big out there. And our Clan's pride is blocking the younger cats from knowing. But why would they do that? It wouldn't protect us at all."

A gentle mew interrupted the stiffness of the air. Duskpaw and Ferretpaw turned their heads toward the sound.

"Perhaps the reason for the threat wanting to conquer us was because of something our past generation did that was wrong." Silentpaw appeared in the bush. Duskpaw was about to hiss at her for eavesdropping, but Ferretpaw beat him to speaking.

"So you're saying, the killers hate us for the senior warriors doing something bad to _them_ originally?"

"Or something that gave them an opportunity," Silentpaw tipped her head to one side in thought. "But, please forgive me for listening in. I wanted to help you in any way I could."

"And it's obvious you're missing someone who could also be of a huge help," another voice spoke. Foxpaw slid into the bush next to Silentpaw.

Silentpaw smiled in embarrassment, "I brought her..."

Foxpaw raised her chin. "I don't need you to speak for me!"

"Great StarClan, Duskpaw! Did you attract the attention of the whole Clan?!" Ferretpaw hissed at Duskpaw in fear.

"You're welcome for telling you everything," Duskpaw growled at the annoying apprentice. But... why had he told Ferretpaw everything? Was it because he secretly needed to speak his squished thoughts to someone, anyone, or was Duskpaw beginning to _like_ Ferretpaw? Or any of the apprentices? He didn't want to like anyone. That made you weak, right?

"Well, fellow denmates, and uh, Ferretpaw," Foxpaw meowed, "if we need to know who these killers are to stop them and break our senior's pride, how exactly do you plan on gaining the old cats' trusts for their knowledge?" Silentpaw stared at the ground sadly.

"I don't think we can do that," she sighed. Ferretpaw had his eyes narrowed.

"No..." he agreed. "But we have Ivy."

 _Author again. I'd like to give some more context to the method of thought that went into the existence of BloodClan prior to Scourge's founding. We figured it'd be very likely that there was an organized group of cats in the city-area, basically where BloodClan exists in the regular Warriors arc; we figured that it was possible it was founded and toppled, rebuilt, whatever, possibly multiple times. Once again- we are not declaring that this MUST have been the case. We simply agreed it was possible. And we also figured it would be logical for the name to carry over. And you, the reader, will learn more about the "logic" behind this Bloodclan later. :)_


	5. Chapter 7 and 8

Chasing Pasts

 _Ivy_

"Echostar, I should be out there, at least hunting or gathering supplies if not trying to track down Bloodclan. I know where they are! I can help if you'll just let me." Ivy complained. More than anything right now she wanted to be helping; not just sitting in a den talking to some Elders.

"I've told you already Ivy that you are being more help than you can imagine just by staying here where it's safe." Echostar explained as she paced the den considering who all she should call to the meeting.

"But I don't want to stay here where it's safe! If anyone's going to die because I made the mistake of running from Bloodclan, it should be me!" Ivy whined. 'Great,' Ivy thought, 'I sound like a kittypet.' Ivy sighed and huffed. "Fine." Ivy muttered and plopped down.

Apparently, Echostar had finished debating which senior warrior to call and quickly padded to the entrance of the den and leapt into the branches of the tree next to her den. She yowled for some of the elders who came rushing into the den.

"Echostar, what-" One of the seniors began, but was soon cut off by the leader.

"Ivy was a born Bloodclan cat, she knows their methods and she know much about their attack plans." Echostar began, but was also cut off by another of the senior warriors. An old looking she-cat looked murderously at Ivy.

"They're tracking you aren't they. You're the reason my son was tortured like that." The cat said sharply. The words bore into Ivy's mind like claws. She may as well have killed that young warrior herself. The she-cat was right. It WAS her fault.

Ivy looked ashamed and walked out of the den. As she did so, she heard a few of the elders, including the young warrior's mother, calling for her to return; she was shocked to hear Echostar tell them to give Ivy some space, and began lecturing the young warrior's mother.

 _Duskpaw_

The four apprentices slipped out of the bush they'd been hiding in. A couple of cats hanging around camp were looking at them with mocking smiles, but the apprentices ignored them and looked around for Ivy.

"Ok," whispered Ferretpaw, "we've got to reason with Ivy. The senior cats are making a mistake. Their pride and fear of us learning their past mistakes could destroy ShadowClan. Ivy knows this, but she won't tell me what exactly is the enemy we're dealing with, and I guess... she doesn't know what the senior warriors did," Ferretpaw mewed sadly.

Silentpaw purred, "But if she tells us of what we're dealing with, it'll be a good enough start. Then we can confront the older cats with our knowledge."

Duskpaw scratched his ear in thought. "Yeah, but what if she doesn't tell us?"

"I bet we could force her," Foxpaw smiled to herself, receiving a hard stare from Silentpaw. Foxpaw rolled her eyes. "Or reason with her. Tell her the Clan could lose itself and stuff."

"Brilliant," Ferretpaw nodded in agreement, "Ivy's smart. Plus, I think I see her now..." Duskpaw craned his neck to see Ivy fleeing from Echostar's den with a concerned look on her face. Duskpaw wondered if that was a bad sign. Foxpaw was already charging in her direction, leading Duskpaw and the others to follow.

Ivy'd been moving fast, for the apprentices only caught up to her when she'd already reached her den. She was curled up in a tight circle in her nest. Nobody spoke. Duskpaw became frustrated. Wasn't time limited?

"Ivy, we need to talk to you," Duskpaw finally broke the silence. Ivy slowly lifted her head and stared at the apprentices.

She sighed, "oh great."

Ferretpaw approached her by a few steps. "We need your help. We think the fate of our Clan rests with whether or not you'll answer a certain question," Ferretpaw mewed gently. Ivy's paw hit the side of Ferretpaw's head faster than you can say "frog bones". Ferretpaw fell back to the force of the blow, and was shaking from Ivy's sudden rage.

She was on her toes, teeth bared, hissing, "YOU'RE JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS. HAVE I NOT HELPED YOU ENOUGH?"

"Calm down Mouse-brain, why's talking so hard?" Foxpaw was unsympathetic to Ivy's obvious troubles. But Duskpaw agreed with Foxpaw. It couldn't be that hard just to tell them what was going on. Especially if Ivy'd already told the senior warriors.

Ivy turned toward Foxpaw now, and Foxpaw glared back, feeling unthreatened, Duskpaw supposed.

"You Clan cats live such a pampered life. You think you're so tough, but you've never felt real pain! Not like I have!" Ivy growled, preparing to strike, but Foxpaw still remained unphased. And as much as they needed to know this information, Duskpaw was in no mood to fight Ivy. He'd already almost lost, and that was when she was in bad condition.

Foxpaw arched her back, eyes narrowed, and tightened her muscles for a small battle, but Silentpaw stepped between the two she-cats.

"Ivy, I'm sorry we're putting pressure on you when you already have enough as it is, but I'm afraid a portion of our Clan is refusing to admit their mistake, even if it means risking the Clan's destruction," she pleaded to the mangled rogue, "you have the knowledge we can present to them to show them we can help, that they need to stop running from the past. That one piece of information, that one fraction of the story telling who the enemy is, is what could save our Clan," Silentpaw breathed.

Ivy stood still in a battle stance, her eyes burning into Silentpaw's, then Foxpaw's, then Duskpaw's, and then Ferretpaw's. She stared at her paws, breathed in slowly, then released it, meowing, "I... will consider it. I'm a bit stressed right now... I'm sorry you have to see me like this," Ivy nodded, "I do want to save your Clan, I really do. But I need a couple of heartbeats of space."

Duskpaw realized he was holding in a breath, and released it. Ivy turned to Ferretpaw, who was trembling in the corner of her den.

"I'm sorry for striking you..." she mewed sadly, then slowly dragged herself back to her nest, and laid down. Foxpaw's bushy tail touched Duskpaw's face, and she motioned for him and the others to leave. Ferretpaw shakily stood up, and Silentpaw seemed pleased with herself. They padded out in the middle of camp, to the fresh-kill pile.

Duskpaw hissed, "great, so what now? She wants to save us but she can't tell us one simple thing?"

"Give her time, I think the senior warriors and Echostar have been pushing her for answers lately," Silentpaw mewed in sympathy. Duskpaw frowned, unsatisfied with the answer. Why was talking so hard? Did Silentpaw understand or just not care "why"? Duskpaw always wanted to know "why".

Duskpaw heard Nightmist calling for him from the camp entrance.

"And now I have to go work with Nightmist," he mumbled to the others. Ferretpaw was still silent, staring at the ground. Foxpaw was nodding, and spoke.

"All of our mentors will be looking for us. Tonight we can go back to talk to Ivy. Let's meet back up at that stupid bush, ok?" She mewed, looking at everyone. They all nodded. Ferretpaw stumbled back to the medicine cat den without a word. Silentpaw mewed a farewell, and bounced over to the elder's den. Duskpaw padded as slowly as he could to Nightmist, and watched as Foxpaw galloped to her young mentor, Petaldust.

"Where have you been all day?" Nightmist led Duskpaw out of camp, meowing.

Duskpaw growled in response, "cleaning out the stupid elder's den like you asked!"

"Don't disrespect your elders! They know a lot more then you do."

 _They sure do_ , Duskpaw thought to himself. He sighed, and prepared himself for some painful battle-training.

Twig

 _Twig_

There she sat, lurking silently in the shadows of a half-full dumpster, two bright green eyes staring out at the world, waiting for her chance to pounce. She kept herself perfectly still, knowing full well that the time had almost arrived. The twoleg would soon be out, filling the dumpster with delicious food, and she would be the first to get her pick. It was her right, anyways. She had been the first to discover and claim this glorious place, so it was only fair that she would eat whatever she wanted whenever she felt like it. There, she could smell him and the food, oh it smelled so tempting. She waited a good while after he left before she made her move. Her mud-colored fur stood on end as her warning to any who observed her, and she let herself taste the air for unwelcome guests before stepping out of the shadows and leaping into her pile of treasures.

While she was gorging herself, she didn't notice two large figures join her in the can.

"Twig!" they yelled together, causing her to drop her meal and screech. She rounded on them and was ready to attack when she saw who they were.

"You dung brained kitty pets! What were you thinking? You've just alerted every cat in the alley to our spot!"

"Oh please, it was your fault for letting your guard down." said the larger, fuller looking of the two tomcats.

"Yeah, Twig. If we'd been any other cats, you woulda been their next meal!" said the younger, bouncier one.

"If any of us were to be someone's next meal, it'd be you Patch." purred Twig, her tail twitching with obvious annoyance.

"Whatever," began Patch, "I think the best meal would be sitting right beneath us. What do you think, Scratch?"

"I think you should shut your fur trap and tell Twiggy here what we heard." Twig glared between the two brothers, ignoring their 'high and mighty' glances they kept throwing her way, telling her 'look at us, we know something you don't know.'

Finally, she growled, "Well, are you gonna tell me or what?" Patch smiled at Scratch and then glanced at Twig.

"Remember our 'good friend' Ivy?" he meowed. Twig nodded and looked at him suspiciously.

"Yeah, but what does she have to do with anything. Isn't she dead or something?"

"That's what we thought, but we overheard Talon talking to Blizzard about her being held captive in ShadowClan! He also said something about a war and scouts and whatnot, but come on! If Ivy is still alive, what does that say about Boulder?"

Twig was shocked, her mouth hung open. But at the mention of Boulder, her fur stood on end.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare say what I think you're gonna say!"

"Twig, think about it-" Scratch began before she cut him off.

"No! I can't deal with hoping anymore. He's dead, and so is Ivy! We saw the bodies! I won't hear any more of your lies!" And with that, she turned and left her treasure for good.

 _Duskpaw_

"Your enemy is small, Duskpaw. You have the force to go straight towards the nose and eyes," Nightmist lectured as Duskpaw swiped at an invisible enemy.

Duskpaw bit back a retort and tried to focus.

Nightmist flicked his tail in irritation, "re-enter the world, Duskpaw. Practice the one I had you on earlier. You know, the move you couldn't pay attention to. Or maybe that's too broad of a list?"

Duskpaw breathed in, retraced the steps in his mind, and acted them out as the thoughts passed. Back up. The enemy charges. Jump completely over him/her. Swing tail with as much force as possible, while keeping your balance, to turn you around quickly, and powerfully swing up your paw as you turn, hopefully reaching and terminating the enemy's jaw while confusing them. Claws out. Duskpaw puffed as he landed and completed the "Jaw Crusher" as the move was rightfully named. Duskpaw lifted his head in victory.

"How was _that_ Nightmist," Duskpaw twitched his whiskers in pride, and began to march around.

Nightmist brought his tail to his chin in thought, and mewed, "I suppose it was good, except you spun a whole circle. Did you notice? You ended on the same side you landed instead of backwards like you were supposed to... which would've been excellent if you plan on missing the enemy entirely," Nightmist sighed, and Duskpaw hissed in frustration and clawed the ground.

Nightmist continued lecturing, "But the biggest mistake-"

"How many mistakes did I have?"

"-was that you didn't even _realize_ your mistake. It's all about control Duskpaw, not the sheer force." Duskpaw tried to ignore Nightmist and flattened his ears in his anger.

"It's not like I'm trying to look like a fur-brain," he hissed at his mentor.

"And it's not like I'm trying to teach you to look like one. I only do this to help you. And you really just don't pay attention enough..." Nightmist's voice trailed away in Duskpaw's mind. When was the sun going to set already so he could talk to Ivy? He looked at the sky. It was finally starting to get dark. He strained his ears to the direction of camp, to try and hear what was going on without him.

"And it would help if you would listen!" Nightmist's mouth appeared directly next to Duskpaw's ear, and he leapt back in surprise. Duskpaw rolled his eyes at his mentor.

"I am listening," Duskpaw mewed. _Kinda_ floated through his mind after that, though, and Nightmist closed his eyes and sighed.

 _He does that a lot_ , thought Duskpaw, _so I hope he goes blind or something,_ Duskpaw was now trying to think of mean things about Nightmist on purpose, but started to feel sorry for creating his rude thoughts and ceased them soon after they began.

He hardly noticed his mentor slide next to him and begin to guide him back to camp. "Either way," Nightmist flicked a single ear dismissively, "get a good rest tonight; sleep in, we have night-stealth training tomorrow night with the other apprentices. You might want to step up your game to impress them."

They padded back into camp, to hear the hissing of other Clanmates.

"Nettleheart was my denmate! We trained together! You can't just ignore the fact that he's been murdered," Fuzzywhisker shouted to Darkleaf.

In fact, the ShadowClan deputy was in the middle of a crowd of enraged young cats, and he was trying to block the door to the leader's den. Fuzzywhisker was clearly causing the uproar though.

"As I've said," Darkleaf was growling, but trying to keep calm, "Echostar and we are doing all we can to assess the situation-"

"There's nothing to assess! You're all hiding something! Either that or too coward to do anything," Fuzzywhisker bared his teeth, "or maybe just both!" The other cats around howled in agreement.

"If Echostar has any Shadowclan pride, she'll step out here right now and face us!" Rosethorn, a thick-coated white she-cat aroused more cheers. Darkleaf was clearly becoming overwhelmed. His tailed lashed, and his lips were peeling back in frustration.

"We demand to avenge Nettleheart! _Filthy cowards_ ," Nettleheart's ginger and white brother, Flamepath, hollered as well.

Duskpaw's mouth was hanging open at the sight of the mob, and he felt Nightmist's discomfort to the situation come off of him in waves, and saw him flee to the warrior's den.

"That is enough!" Darkleaf's strong voiced echoed through the clearing, and the young warriors hushed at the fierceness of his meow. "Your clan is doing all they can for you," he hissed, his fur standing on end, making him appear giant, "so, you are all dismissed to your duties."

The warriors didn't budge, but another hiss from the deputy sent them scrambling. Duskpaw was shocked. He'd forgotten that he wasn't the only one discomforted by recent events. The scent of Silentpaw filled his nose, and he turned to see her dragging her paws over to him. She flicked her nose to the sky,

"It's getting dark," she pointed out.

"Long day?" Duskpaw questioned.

She shrugged. "Your day must have been long as well."

"Never mind. Did you see that?" Duskpaw asked her, swishing his tail to where Darkleaf stood now, looking huge.

Silentpaw nodded, "But now we need to go to the bush, yes?" Duskpaw mewed a yes, and they slid to the edge of the clearing, next to the bush he and Ferretpaw originally hid in. After what felt like moons to Duskpaw, Ferretpaw showed, frowning. Duskpaw snorted.

"Did _everyone_ have a bad day?" Duskpaw teased.

"I had a great day," Ferretpaw mewed unenthusiastically. Duskpaw didn't want to think about why Ferretpaw was sad. He had too much on his mind. It hurt his head.

"Where in the name of StarClan is Foxpaw?" Duskpaw hissed, since no one else was speaking, and he also got no response. Silentpaw and Ferretpaw were both staring wide-eyed at the ground, except Ferretpaw was obviously depressed, and Silentpaw was just... lost in thought. Duskpaw dragged his tail back and forth against the ground to ignore the awkwardness.

And at last, Foxpaw's voice came, "And of course, I was the only one who came prepared." Foxpaw marched proudly over, with Ivy right behind her.

"Ivy," Duskpaw nodded to her, surprised that Foxpaw had already brought her over. Silentpaw blinked in greeting, and Ferretpaw kept his gaze to the ground.

Ivy took a deep breath in. "I've come to talk with you all. Because you deserve to know..."


	6. Chapter 9 and 10

Trust

 _Ivy_

"I should tell you who I am first. Does anyone here know where I came from?" Ivy asked looking around at the kits in the bush with her.

"Yeah, you were a rogue. Are you saying you haven't always been one?" Foxpaw asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"No," The response didn't come from Ivy, but from Duskpaw, "She hasn't always been. She was a clan cat. I could tell by the way she fought me when Ferretpaw and I first found her. No rogue could have thought of the style of fighting she used…. but I didn't recognize the style either. What clan are you from?" Duskpaw turned his gaze from Foxpaw to Ivy, who seemed a little taken by surprise by the kits logical response. Maybe she wasn't giving this little kit enough credit.

"You pay more attention than I thought, Duskpaw. You're correct. I was a Clan born cat, but not from a clan you have ever seen in battle, Duskpaw, like you said. My clan practiced a very aggressive, unpredictable, fast method of fighting, using not our teeth as main weapon, but mainly our claws, and attachments such as eagle dog teeth or teeth from some larger animal." Ivy paused letting the younger, less experienced future warriors take in the information. She had major plans for these kits and she needed them to have all of the information she's given them to sink in.

After a few moments, she continued. "I came from Bloodclan." Foxpaw and Duskpaw appeared to be shocked by the name, but Silentpaw and Ferretpaw just sat still, letting this sink in. "If you've never heard of them, it's because they don't live near your forest. In fact, they live in no forest at all."

"That would explain why you didn't recognize Deathberries," Ferretpaw said, looking at his paws, "You don't gather berries, Bloodclan doesn't have a good Medicine cat system. Half of the time they don't even have one. Also, Bloodclan doesn't eat berries, they only hunt." Ivy nodded. These two were actually pretty bright, whether Duskpaw cared to admit, or even show it half of the time.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw allowed his thoughts to run wild. Bloodclan? It made sense... it was a Clan of rogues. That was what was missing. And what an awfully fitting name. Duskpaw turned toward Ferretpaw.

"You've heard of them, then?" Duskpaw mewed, surprised.

Ferretpaw nodded, "One of the elders spoke to me of them once, it caused a hissing reaction from the other elders. The whole thing was odd. And it was also a long time ago," Ferretpaw mewed darkly.

Foxpaw narrowed her eyes. "Well that's all fine and helpful I suppose, but now how are we going to prove to the senior warriors that we need to help, and get them to tell us what they did?"

Duskpaw shrugged, "Present them with the information?"

Ivy shook her head to that. "Wouldn't that scare them though? And make them not trust you as much?" She considered.

Duskpaw realized as Silentpaw spoke, she'd been quiet the rest of the time, "But what if we could make them willingly tell us without giving away the knowledge we have?"

All cats grew silent.

"That doesn't make any sense," mewed Ferretpaw, shaking his head.

Duskpaw hissed, "And besides, if we could just do that, why would we have needed to know this information in the first place?"

"Perhaps to make a sign that the senior cats understand," Foxpaw mewed darkly.

Duskpaw felt the fur on his neck raise. "What do you mean?" He growled.

Foxpaw shrugged. "Well, haven't Echostar and Brindlestripe been waiting for a sign from StarClan?"

"Actually, Brindlestripe's been mumbling in her sleep, and waking up with heavy breathing and a jolt for the past few nights. And she won't tell me what happens in her dreams," Ferretpaw mewed sadly, continuing, "and I think I even had one myself. I-I... c-can't remember exactly but... I think I was drenched in blood, and there was whispering... s-so soft, but so loud..." Ferretpaw began shivering with wide eyes.

Ivy got up and sat next to him, head shaking, "But your StarClan is just tales for kits. It's natural to have nightmares."

"Medicine cats can tell the difference between a simple nightmare and a warning," whispered Silentpaw.

Ivy flattened her ears, "Okay... so, we just walk up to your dead friends and say, 'Oh hey, we're about to get beaten down by an evil Clan, can send our leader a sign so she'll stop being stupid?'" hissed Ivy.

Silentpaw didn't flinch, "I think what Foxpaw and I were hinting at is that we _fake_ a sign."

Duskpaw recoiled a bit at the odd thought. Pretend to be StarClan? Was that a moral thing to do? Foxpaw met Silentpaw's gaze with a small, sharp nod, and Ivy was nodding in thought, but Ferretpaw looked horrified.

"B-but... t-that's... it's just not right!" He argued. "StarClan sends signs for a reason."

"For once, I kinda agree with the little tabby," Duskpaw mewed, mind overflowing. Foxpaw blinked at them, finally calmer than her typical self,

"Of course we feel the same way, but the pride and fear of our Clan's failures could destroy us, and if we just confront them, it could get worse. StarClan would understand if we use them as a model. We're not pretending to be them... it's more like we're honoring them." Foxpaw mewed, and got an agreeing tail flick from Silentpaw. Duskpaw was still uneasy, but he nodded, understanding. Ferretpaw closed his eyes, and did nothing more.

Ivy's eyes were bright. "You're all mad," she mewed cheerfully at them, "I think it's a great idea."

Foxpaw licked her chest, clearly thinking, and spoke, "Alright then, how and when are we going to make this sign?"

Silentpaw flicked her ears, "I think we should all rest on it, and meet here again at sunhigh while everyone is sharing tongues. Agreed?"

All cats nodded.

"But be careful, we have limited time until Bloodclan may strike," warned Ivy. All the apprentices began to break apart, but as everyone left, Duskpaw halted Ivy with a mew.

"Yes?" She asked, turning around.

Now they were alone.

"It's obvious Bloodclan functions with fear, having the strongest scare the weakest, so it's balanced and strong," Duskpaw began, "so why did you leave? You can't tell me you were one of the weak ones. You must've been living a relatively satisfying life with your power, and also raised to believe certain things were right that Bloodclan thought was right," Duskpaw stared at her, "what could've brought you away?"

Ivy's gaze fell slowly to the ground. She twitched her whiskers. "Things... happened. I cleared my head because of certain events," she meowed, being dodgy. But that answer felt enough to Duskpaw. He was surprised she even answered at all.

He dipped his head. "...thanks," he mumbled, and quickly ran off to his den, not looking back.

 _Twig_

Twig lay thoughtfully in the darkening alley she had begun to refer to as 'hers.' Ever since the brothers' unexpected visit, she couldn't get her two supposedly dead friends off of her mind. Images of sleek brown and gray fur matted with blood, broken bodies laying in unnatural poses, cries of agony that had been cut short, still twisting their faces in such horrible ways. So many wounds, too many wounds, so much blood, strange taste in the air, many marks from claws, few marks from teeth- Twig snapped her eyes shut, unable to continue on with the horrifying memory. She knew it shouldn't affect her like this; she's a proud member of Bloodclan! She'd seen plenty of gruesome deaths! But somehow, seeing the mangled bodies of two of those she'd considered allies, even friends (and that was c _ompletely_ unheard of), had affected her in a way she'd never experienced before.

She remembered how determined Ivy had looked before she'd left for the hunt, the hardened look on her face, the glint in her eyes, and the glare of a fierce warrior ready for battle. That day, though Bloodclan cats rarely ever traveled, hunted, even ate with a partner, Boulder had asked if he could accompany Ivy on her hunt.

He was slightly younger than the others, always so energetic and ready to play. He was not meant to be a Bloodclan cat, he was too nice, but it was the unspoken rule of their small group to protect the kit-like warrior at all costs. And since Ivy was the hardest of the group, it was only natural that she would accompany him hunting. But after waiting all day for the two to return, Twig had begun to worry.

"But what if they've gotten into trouble?" she'd mewed worriedly to Patch. "What if they don't come back?"

He'd just swished his tail at her, saying "They will come back." Of course, he was right. They did come back. But from all that she saw before Scratch and Patch dragged her away, they hadn't really made it home.

And she knew it was all her fault.

A Clan Divided

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw was on the dawn patrol the next morning. It consisted of Nightmist, another senior warrior, and another young warrior. It was an awkwardly quiet patrol. After that, Duskpaw laid around in camp, watched another feud about Nettleheart, made dirt, hunted a bit, and returned to camp for sunhigh. Duskpaw waited by the bush.

He looked around the camp slowly. It was a sad sight. The camp was almost split. Young verses old. Hackles raised on both sides, one side more enraged, the other proud but guilty. It was all becoming obvious to everyone that the murder had been indirectly caused by the seniors, but there was still no way of getting their support. Yet.

Duskpaw kneaded the ground with his claws. Where was everyone else? He was incredibly excited, but at the same time slightly ashamed, about the idea of making a fake sign from StarClan. And... he also had no idea how they could do it. He was supposed to have thought about it.

"Well, you just show up early for everything, don't you?" Foxpaw mewed cheerfully, strutting over. Duskpaw twitched his whiskers.

"I get lonely," he teased. But he kinda did. But he didn't care. ...but-

"Did you actually come up with anything?" Foxpaw asked, tipping her head to one side and interrupting Duskpaw's thoughts.

Duskpaw bit his lip, flicked the tip of his tail, and mumbled, "I think I kinda got something... somewhere... like.. we could..."

"Yeah, I didn't either."

The scent of Ferretpaw filled the air, along with stomping paws.

"I have an idea!" Ferretpaw ran over excitedly.

"We should probably wait for-" Duskpaw began, but didn't finish.

"We could like, smother ourselves with blood... well, not me... and run up to Echostar, and... and..." Ferretpaw's excited whisper began to fade, and his big grin turned into a frown. He shook his head. "...never mind," he sighed.

Foxpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement. "At least you had something," she reasoned, "Duskpaw doesn't have anything."

Duskpaw's ears stuck up high, "You don't either!"

"I was teasing."

"Oh."

The three stood awkwardly, and Ivy approached. She was holding her head high.

"I have an amazing idea for your silly Starclan."

Silentpaw charged behind her, panting. "I've been busy all morning," Silentpaw breathed heavily, "I... couldn't come up with anything."

Foxpaw wrapped her tail around her paws. "Luckily, Ivy's come up with something, or so she says, so we don't have to sit around and talk about it," she purred, turning to look at Ivy. Ivy lifted her chin.

"Well, the sign has to have something representing each part of the mystery, right?" No one answered. Ivy rolled her eyes. "So, we need something that represents youth, it's strength, and somehow weave Bloodclan in there." Duskpaw understood where she was going now. Except he didn't know how to represent that stuff. "Since I'm forced to stay around camp all day, I was watching some baby birds in a nest, and I wondered what it could be like if they could feed themselves." Ivy waited to see if anyone was catching on. She breathed in. "Soooo, what if Brindlestripe was really tired, and needed a small, rare, snack? Like a baby bird. Delivered by the one and only medicine cat apprentice we happen to have?"

Ferretpaw shook his head "That doesn't mean anything."

"I'm not finished! So, what if that baby bird had food in its mouth? Like, a lot. And not regurgitated, making it look like it somehow collected it. Also, it's smothered in more blood then a usual catch has." All the apprentices were showing positive signs.

"That could really work!" Encouraged Silentpaw. Foxpaw nodded, and Ferretpaw was smiling.

Duskpaw dared to challenge it. "What if Brindlestripe doesn't recognize it as a sign from StarClan? They sense those things you know, like... magic-y or something..." Duskpaw mewed, twisting an ear to the side.

"StarClan can't be real. It's just in her head," Ivy insisted, but received a hiss from Ferretpaw, and continued, "and anyways, her guilt will get to her. She can't miss it."

"Great, so when do we do it? Any suggestions?" Foxpaw questioned all the apprentices.

"How about tomorrow morning? Brindlestripe should be tired, but we won't want to wait long," offered Silentpaw. Ivy mewed in agreement, and Foxpaw was nodding.

"So who will set it up? Since Ferretpaw will be taking the bird, should he?" Foxpaw asked. Ferretpaw's mouth was opened, and he looked a little grossed out.

"Well... if he's going to be mashing blood, we wouldn't want the scent all obviously over his paws while he gives it. Someone else should get it," considered Duskpaw.

"I'd like to get the bird. It gets boring around here," Ivy volunteered.

"And I'll get the food for its mouth, and bring it to you," Silentpaw put in.

"And we all should watch the reaction from Echostar and Brindlestripe, and the rest of them," Duskpaw added, "like... hide and watch."

"Great. So, tomorrow morning. Ferretpaw, when you're given the sign, wait until you know we're hiding and watching," finished Foxpaw. All cats nodded.

Foxpaw bowed her head, "See you two tonight," she mewed to Duskpaw and Silentpaw.

Duskpaw blinked, and leapt out of the bush, trying to make sure he left first this time. He wanted to avoid extra conversation.

Duskpaw dragged his paws to the moon-high battle training. Shadowclan was most known for their special night-stalking tactics. Both of hunting prey, and hunting cats. So, after the apprentices split up, Duskpaw napped, and then went to ask Nightmist for some extra training before moon-high. It… didn't go too well. Duskpaw had too much on his mind to be able to focus on his battle skills. For some reason, Nightmist hadn't commented much on Duskpaw's failures. He seemed distracted as well. At last, Duskpaw was in the clearing for battle training, the ground being mostly dirt and pine-straw. As much as Duskpaw hated this place, it smelled nice. Silentpaw and Foxpaw were already in the clearing.

"What took you so long?" Hissed Foxpaw. Duskpaw took this more to offense at first, but noticed her whiskers twitching in amusement. She was trying to be friendly. Silentpaw's eyes were bright. Duskpaw couldn't help but feel a small, happy burning sensation in his chest. He was beginning to have less trouble picking up on sarcasm. He finally had cats who were affectionate enough with him to be sarcastic. It was odd. Duskpaw hadn't really interacted with the other apprentices until recently, despite the fact that he'd grown up among them.

"How long has it been since we've been able to do team-battle training together? How exciting!" She was purring to herself. Duskpaw scanned the clearing. The only mentor present was Petaldust, at the edge of the clearing, and her eyes were narrowed, and she also seemed confused.

"What's got into your mentor's fur, Foxpaw?" Duskpaw whispered to the ginger she-cat. She flattened her ears, and looked at the ground. Silentpaw answered for her.

"Nightmist and Toadleap won't be showing up. For some secret reason. It's putting Petaldust off," Silentpaw mewed sadly.

"And me," Foxpaw growled. "It's just obviously the senior warriors discussing their sorry-tailed problems that they caused again. Meanwhile, we get to sit out in the dark with the 'extra patrols'. They're just distractions. The senior warriors know we're not safe."

Of course, Duskpaw knew all this, but Foxpaw seemed so annoyed that he just listened to her meow.

Petaldust finally must've been brought back into reality, because she was now approaching them.

"So, since your mentor's have decided they can… bail on important activities for StarClan knows what, I'll be teaching you all alone tonight. By myself," Petaldust mewed bluntly.

This would be a long night.

"Let's begin with the counter ambush," she sighed, collecting herself. "So let's say a large group of enemy warriors is in our territory, obviously an ambush. We need to push and attack them before they get to us. First, I'll go out by myself as the enemy patrol. The three of you will act as a regular border patrol. You'll track me down, and ambush me. If you don't find me before we reach camp, you fail this round. Understand?" Petaldust's eyes went to all of the apprentices as they nodded. Petaldust dipped her head. "Good. Foxpaw, you're the leader of the patrol. Starting… now!" And on that note, Petaldust disappeared into the darkness.

Foxpaw immediately turned to Silentpaw and Duskpaw.

"Alright then!" She announced, "Time for a daily patrol. Duskpaw, you take the back. If we get attacked you're more likely to shield us with your large body."

"Are we going to be in a line?" Silentpaw asked.

"It'd probably be better at night," Duskpaw mewed, understanding Foxpaw's logic. Generally patrols walked in a sort of a pack, but a line would give them better vision and sense. "We'd be able to see more large beings. We aren't hunting, after all."

Foxpaw nodded and led them through the small pine trees. The tough, dirt ground transformed into mud as they walked deeper into the territory, and Duskpaw enjoyed the feel of the mud soaking between his aching paws. All of a sudden, Silentpaw halted, hackles raised and fur on end. Her eyes were round with fear. Foxpaw bounced in excitement.

"Do you smell Petaldust?" She whispered to Silentpaw. However, Silentpaw seemed frozen. Duskpaw prodded her with a paw.

"Don't you smell it?" Silentpaw whispered so softly he could barely understand her. And suddenly she dropped to a crouch. Foxpaw and Duskpaw followed her movements. Only just as they did so, an incredibly short screech split the air. Duskpaw thought he'd imagined it, except Foxpaw and Silentpaw launched themselves in the direction of the sound, causing Duskpaw to use all his force to push himself up and after the two she-cats. Duskpaw was so pricked with fear and confusion that he was sure he ran faster than he ever had before.

And then the scent hit him.

He now understood what had frightened Silentpaw so. It was like Ivy… except worse, traced with blood, and pure hatred. The fur on Duskpaw's neck stood on end. The flaming red tail of Foxpaw and the outline of Silentpaw was now more visible as he caught up. The rancid scent became overwhelming, and as it did, Foxpaw and Silentpaw halted in front of him. He leapt next to them to see why they stopped, and felt his mind go blank.

A large, dark, tomcat with matted fur was pinning Petaldust, with one of his paws in her mouth, and the other smashing on her head for a knock-out. The yellow eyes of the beastly cat turned to the three apprentices, causing all three of them to unsheathe their claws. The giant tom leapt at them before one of them could go for help.

Foxpaw's bright fur caused her to be an immediate target. The huge cat swiped his claws at her, and Foxpaw barely dodged every swing. What's worse, he appeared to not be trying his hardest, just having fun, as Duskpaw could see his enormous teeth glint in the light of the moon. And his claws… his claws seemed like a nightmare. They weren't cats' claws. And he wore a collar that was reinforced with the same material that replaced his claws.

"DUSKPAW, MOVE! DO SOMETHING!" Foxpaw hiss brought him back into reality. Silentpaw was on the rogue's back, and Foxpaw was face-to-face with the cat and had taken a blow from it, and she was nowhere near hitting him back. Duskpaw leapt for his leg, managed a small bite, and was thrown off quickly, leaving the beast laughing.

"The small kitties, they like to play," he hissed with a strange accent. He was definitely having fun. Duskpaw felt his rage add force as he launched himself next to Foxpaw. This was probably the foxheart that killed Nettleheart! And Duskpaw was sure this was a BloodClan cat.

Side by side, the apprentices threw blow after blow, ducking and dodging the massive cat's huge claws. The cat hissed as it grew impatient. Foxpaw landed a good swipe to the cat's nose.

"Ha! Take that dirt-breath!" She howled in victory. The cat hissed in fury and began shaking its body like crazy to try and throw off Silentpaw, who still clung to its fur, while swinging at Duskpaw and Foxpaw. A blow to both of them. And Silentpaw hung on for dear life. This battle would end soon if nothing different happened, as he heard Foxpaw panting heavily, matching his own, thick breathing.

Duskpaw's training suddenly came back to him. Could he leap over this giant cat? Duskpaw narrowed his eye, pinpointed his landing spot, and pushed with his hind legs with as much force as he could allow. He flew right over the tomcat, somehow landed neatly, and swung his paw around with as much force as his jump had. But Duskpaw remembered: he couldn't use that much force without the balance! He was spinning too far! Despite this, his paw flew up and met the mouth of the evil cat.

How had he hit him? Duskpaw realized that the cat had foreseen his attack, and was planning on coming up behind Duskpaw; however, the cat had _not_ foreseen Duskpaw spinning so far. Duskpaw grinned in triumph.

The blow had left the tomcat winded and dizzy, causing Silentpaw to re-apply her grip, sinking her claws far into both of his ears. He yowled in pain, and Foxpaw sunk her teeth hard into his hind leg. The giant cat began to panic as Duskpaw charged to combine his strength with the others. Duskpaw became so excited, he completely missed seeing the giant paw that came flying right at the left side of his head. Duskpaw fell to the ground like a lopsided badger, and he felt the world spin around him. He heard hisses, and one more, loud howl from the beast-cat, and then silence. Duskpaw tried to stand, but couldn't manage, falling back down.

"Downs the r-rig," Duskpaw said shakily. That was weird. He meant to say 'Where's the cat?'.

Silentpaw's blurry face appeared in front of his. It surprised Duskpaw so much for some reason, he yelled in shock.

"TAKE THE LEAK." He shouted and stood up. His vision cleared, and the world stopped spinning. He saw Silentpaw clearly now, looking confused.

"Foxpaw, I think he needs to see Brindlestripe right now…" Silentpaw mewed carefully.

"Oh no, no! I'm fine now! I'm… fine. What did I say before? Ah… well… the cat! Where is he?" Duskpaw mewed looking around quickly. He now noticed Foxpaw, who was over by Petaldust. She turned her head to him and smiled.

"We completely sent him running like a kit to its mom!" She cheered.

"Petaldust…?"

"She's fine, better than we are. It seemed like they were trying to knock her out, and that's all. So, she's sleeping, a few scratches here and there…"

Duskpaw noticed how torn up the three of them were. He realized the pain of his own wounds and started to feel dizzy again.

"There's no doubt about it, it was a BloodClan cat," Silentpaw sighed, "it must've been trying to do to Petaldust what happened to Nettleheart." She shivered.

"We've got to make that sign. Tomorrow. This is the second attack, and now that we've actually seen them, they'll be sending in huge groups in no time. We have to act," Duskpaw rambled. Foxpaw nodded.

"We know. And what are we gonna tell the camp?" She asked, flicking her bushy tail.

"Only what happened, of course."

"Let's go. Quickly. There must be more of them, and they know we're alone and weak," Silentpaw insisted. Duskpaw ran over to Foxpaw's young mentor and picked her up by her scruff, and began padding back towards camp with the other apprentices.

"How could our moonhigh patrol have missed him?" Duskpaw asked through Petaldust's fur.

"They almost just passed through here. The cat was waiting for them to pass. Except this time, unlike the other Bloodclan cat that killed Nettleheart, when he came on the territory, he left his scent," Silentpaw mewed darkly.

Foxpaw shivered. "They want us to follow them now."

It felt like it took them moons to return to camp. They ran into a patrol on the way back that ended up splitting to go make sure the BloodClan cat was gone for sure, and to escort the apprentices and Petaldust safely to camp. They were taken to the Medicine Cat Den immediately.

"Oh StarClan no… another attack…" Brindlestripe was muttering as she dashed to the apprentices to take Petaldust. Brindlestripe nodded at Foxpaw's mentor, who was still knocked out. "I'll tend to her. You three go to Ferretpaw," she ordered, flicking her tail to the small tabby as he approached from the back of the den.

Ferretpaw's mouth fell open and he leapt the three.

"What's happened," he whispered as he began checking Foxpaw.

"Bloodclan attack. We've got to make our move," Duskpaw responded quietly, and urgently.

Nothing else needed to be said. Foxpaw, Silentpaw, and Duskpaw waited in silence as Ferretpaw finished mending their wounds.

To Duskpaw's surprise, the scent of the Clan's Deputy, Darkleaf, filled the den.

"I will need a minute to speak to these three alone," Darkleaf mewed bluntly to Ferretpaw. Ferretpaw bowed his head to his father, and backed into the depths of the Medicine cat den, flashing Duskpaw a 'don't give anything away' look before completely disappearing.

Darkleaf lead the apprentices to a dark corner of camp.

"Now, Echostar and I just need a bit of information. Don't worry, you're not in trouble," Darkleaf mewed. It seemed like he was trying to amuse himself, when in fact, he was quite uncomfortable by the attack-that-was-too-obvious.

"We were attacked," Foxpaw stated the obvious without flinching, just to get on her father's nerves.

Darkleaf bared his teeth, but calmed himself with a steady sigh. "I ask for your cooperation, Foxpaw. I'd just like to know what the attacker looked like."

"He was big," Duskpaw purred, joining in with Foxpaw's irritating facts. _Like you don't know who we're dealing with,_ Duskpaw thought.

Darkleaf flattened his ears, and closed his eyes.

"In all truth… it was too dark to actually see what he looked like. Not to mention we only caught a glimpse of the blur of his quick body," Silentpaw explained.

"It would've been helpful if you could've actually seen him," Darkleaf hissed rather immaturely, and stomped away from the apprentices, to be replaced by Ivy.

"I just heard!" She announced loudly with wide eyes. "You're so lucky to have gotten out with so little wounds… or even alive!"

She scooted closer to them, as if she wanted to do something, but halted and inspected their wounds.

"You should've seen how I completely saved their tails," Duskpaw joked.

Foxpaw purred, "Only I do the saving around here!"

Silentpaw joined in. "Oh, but I had him totally pinned down!"

The three apprentices purred to their feat, but Ivy's gaze remained serious.

"Bloodclan cats do not lose easily. And there are much more of us. I heard he left his scent… you do know what this means, don't you? They'll be making their move soon," Ivy breathed, looking at the ground. "The sign-"

"-we'll be doing it tomorrow for sure," Foxpaw finished Ivy's thought.

"Wait, but now that there is an obvious stench left behind, perhaps the senior warriors can't pretend to hide from the truth?" Offered Ferretpaw, padding into the conversation.

"Don't be a mouse-brain. If they've played off everything for this long, they'll play off the scent, too. Besides. Darkleaf sort of just proved it with his 'questioning,'" Foxpaw sighed.

Ferretpaw glanced around at the four of them, then closed his eyes and nodded solemnly. Ivy met Ferretpaw's nod. Silentpaw was staring at something incredibly distant, as usual.

There seemed to be a long pause. Maybe because everyone but Duskpaw was thinking; which was strange. Duskpaw had been thinking a lot lately. But he… didn't seem to have anything to think about anymore that he hadn't already considered. Or perhaps his mind had shorted out due to overuse.

The silence was broken as Ivy's spoke again. "Tomorrow at sunhigh I'll take the bird to Ferretpaw. You all need to be ready, hiding close enough to the Medicine Cat den to eavesdrop, but not in obvious sight. Silentpaw, you'll need to have that bird food to me at the bush just before all of this. Everyone understand?" Ivy asked, scanning the group down.

All cats nodded.

"Good," Ivy sighed, lying down. Foxpaw fell to the ground as well. Silentpaw followed. Duskpaw's paws ached, but he refused to lay down for whatever reason.

"What do you say; we all sleep here tonight, if our beloved seniors don't mind?" Foxpaw purred. She seemed satisfied.

Ivy stiffened. "It might not be…. Safe out here."

"If it's not safe here, it's not safe anywhere," Duskpaw growled.

"Which may be the case," Ivy reasoned.

"Then let's stay together for one night," Foxpaw mewed, rolling her eyes. "C'mon, yes?"

Ivy grudgingly agreed, and Silentpaw mewed happily in agreement. Duskpaw hesitated. He didn't want to run into his mentor walking back to the dens. But he didn't know if he would be comfortable here… Duskpaw laid down. And suddenly, he felt his body relax for the first time in moons, it felt like, with the sweet scent of his friends soothing him. _Friends._

The thought jolted him, causing his eyes to open. He noticed Ferretpaw had joined them. Duskpaw breathed in deeply, and let his gaze fall upon each one of the cats around him.

He had convinced himself when he was no more than a kit that he would never need friends. That he would grow strong without any. That he would be the strongest in the Clan. And yet, so far throughout his apprenticeship, he'd been nothing but unfocused, disrespectful, and… and unhappy. That is, until the whole plight with BloodClan started. Duskpaw was suddenly confused by this. His Clan was being threatened by an incredibly dangerous group of rogues, and yet he felt… happy. Well, satisfied at least. Duskpaw was warm around his friends, and he allowed his body to fall loose, and listen to the breathing of the surrounding cats.

"Ivy?" Silentpaw whispered through the darkness.

Duskpaw heard Ivy yawn. "Yes?"

"Are you alright? You've seemed more distracted lately."

Silence.

"I've… I've been thinking. I just… feel like this whole thing is my fault," Ivy whispered.

"Haven't we already proved that this is the fault of our Clan?" Foxpaw was awake, and meowing.

"But I feel like I reminded Bloodclan by running into this Clan."

"Nonsense. Don't try and get yourself down!" Silentpaw purred.

"Yes, you're very appreciated here," Ferretpaw calmly chimed in.

"That doesn't mean I didn't lead them here," Ivy sighed.

"Think of it this way then: they would've found us eventually. Better now than never," Duskpaw grunted. He didn't want to hear Ivy mope all night, friend or not.

It managed to quiet everyone up for a moment. Duskpaw then felt a bit awkward. He sighed.

"Thank you." Ivy mewed. "All of you. You're… good cats."

Duskpaw fell asleep to the purrs of his friends, all seemingly soothed for once. _I don't_ need _them… but they're nice to have around…_ Duskpaw felt a smile spread across his face as he exited the world for the night.

It was Ferretpaw who shook him awake.

"We've got awhile until sunhigh. Try to go hunting alone or something," Ferretpaw whispered.

Duskpaw blinked his eyes open and flinched at the light. It was past dawn, but the sun wasn't near sunhigh. Duskpaw rolled over with a grunt and heaved himself up, stretching his legs. He looked around, and saw that Ivy and Silentpaw had disappeared. Foxpaw was still there, and Ferretpaw had padded over to her wake her up as well. Foxpaw hissed as Ferretpaw gently nudged her.

Duskpaw turned his gaze to the middle of camp. Cats were awkwardly gathering in groups, whispering. It seems no one minded them sleeping together, for they were not disturbed the whole night. Duskpaw dragged himself to the warriors den, pushing his head in to search for Nightmist. It was completely empty. Duskpaw found this odd; there was usually at least one or two warriors napping. _They really have stepped up patrolling. And that's hardly helping._

Duskpaw's thoughts were stopped as a shriek of furry split the air. Duskpaw's fur stood on end, and he turned around expecting to see another Bloodclan cat.

Instead, two warriors were fighting.

One senior, one young.

They were no more than blurs of fur, twisting and cursing, and they had a crowd who tried not to stop them. They were actually hissing, and cheering on their age type. And suddenly, another pair was fighting. And another, and another. Duskpaw felt horror flood through his body.

His Clan was attacking itself.

He ran out in the middle of the civil-battle and called for them to come to their senses, seeing Darkleaf doing the same. A paw struck Duskpaw's face. He turned quickly to see Smokefoot, an experienced warrior, hissing at him. Duskpaw refused to be passive to this; he bared his teeth and leapt on Smokefoot, along with another young warrior, Fuzzywhisker. They tussled intensely, similar to with the BloodClan cat, and Duskpaw felt his Clanmates claws become unsheathed. It was nothing less than madness. Duskpaw was thrown off Smokefoot, and reared up, preparing to leap again, when Brindlestripe's voice echoed the camp:

"BY STARCLAN, STOP THIS!"

The two age groups split apart, tails lashing.

Brindlestripe stood firmly at the edge of camp, with her ears pinned back, and a solid stare that was locked on nothing, but everything.

"Our Clan is dying, you're doing nothing, you're telling us nothing, and you expect us to show you mercy?" Flamepath growled in fury, rallying cries from other young warriors.

"We need no mercy from you!" Toadleap retorted, raising his hackles with the other senior warriors, preparing for another attack. Duskpaw braced himself as fur raised, but suddenly squeaks of joy erupted from a corner of the camp.

Fennelkit and Oatkit dashed directly between the two sides, giggling and pawing at every other warrior.

"We wanna fight too!" Fennelkit squeaked, bouncing happily, and Oatkit tackled her, causing them to laugh more.

"Oatkit! Fennelkit! StarClan, get back over here!" Mistpelt, their mother, scrambled over to them in full panic. She gathered them up and her eyes widened as she stood between the two split cat groups.

The Clan mates relaxed as the kits continued to play, and looks of guilt began to appear upon the faces of many. Foxpaw and Ferretpaw ran over to Duskpaw, their faces full of shock. Darkleaf and Brindlestripe walked over next to Mistpelt and the kits.

"Please, the worst thing we can do is fight amongst ourselves in this dark time. We have patrols to march…" Darkleaf meowed calmly, trying to distract the warriors from anything else that may cause anger.

"But where in the name of StarClan is Echostar?" Rosethorn asked with a shaking head, voice filled with sorrow rather than rage.

No one answered. It managed to split up the cats though, into groups of chatter and patrol. Their fury was contained. For now.

"If this keeps up, BloodClan won't even need to kill us," Foxpaw growled.

"I don't know what's worse, knowing we're being hunted by BloodClan, or knowing that we're hunting ourselves…" Ferretpaw mewed quietly.

Duskpaw sighed. He just hoped Ivy would hurry up with that bird.


	7. Chapter 11

Darkleaf

 _Darkleaf_

Darkleaf bowed his head to Brindlestripe.

"Thank you for breaking up that… tussle," he mumbled.

Brindlestripe sighed. "I think it could have been a lot worse. We're risking too much. This is wrong, Darkleaf. We need to tell them. Cats are dying."

Darkleaf flinched to the truth of the wise medicine cat's words. He knew she wanted to keep it a secret just as much as he did. But she wouldn't hide it if there was a risk.

Darkleaf tried to explain. "Echostar believes we need to stick with our first instinct. I promise you, once we locate the Bloodclan patrols-"

"But how many more cats will die until then?" She hissed, suddenly vicious. "How many that didn't even have anything to with our mistake?"

Darkleaf was one of the most feared cats in the forest. By all Clans. But his guilt and the sharpness of Brindlestripe's tone made him shrink inside himself.

He could do nothing more then slowly turn and trod away from the bristling she-cat. He exited the camp, into the forest.

Echostar was surprisingly right where he expected her to be. The Pond of Froglegs, which was named after a famous Shadowclan warrior, located not far from the Thunderpath. She did not react as he approached, though he knew she heard him.

Darkleaf opened his mouth to speak, but Echostar spoke instead.

"This was my father's favorite place to think, you know," she mewed calmly. "He had a lot to think about. As do I now. And some of what I think about is him."

Darkleaf knew this already, but Echostar was obviously trying to comfort herself. Darkleaf gritted his teeth.

 _She needs to be strong._

"Do you think he was right? Making me deputy at the death of Troutfang?" Echostar asked quietly.

Darkleaf took a careful breath in. "Alderstar was a noble leader. He-."

" _Then why did he leave me with this mess of Bloodclan?"_ Echostar turned quickly and pushed her muzzle in Darkleaf's face, ears pinned back.

"You know you have no right to put this entire blame on your father," Darkleaf hissed, now tired of playing nice for his leader. "It was all in our best interest! We knew this might backfire, but we didn't care. And it doesn't matter whose fault it was anyways," Darkleaf continued spitting. "Bloodclan is still coming! And we cannot sit around and ignore it! Our little secret scouting and patrolling missions are getting us nowhere. The fact that Bloodclan willingly left their scent at the most recent affair is complete proof they're preparing to attack! We know, and Ivy told us," Darkleaf felt his rage power his voice.

Echostar's face was pinched up and full of sorrow.

Darkleaf continued anyways. "And didn't you hear the screams coming from your camp? Our own cats were attacking each other! And meanwhile you sit here feeling sorry for yourself, staring at water. Where's that getting you?" Darkleaf howled.

Echostar turned away from Darkleaf. She made no signs of response. Darkleaf hissed in frustration and ran. He ran to the Thunderpath, and stood there.

 _I wish I could just… run away._

But he knew he couldn't. He had to be strong for his clan. Even if that meant lying to some of them.


	8. Chapter 12 and 13

The Signs

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw walked away from his friends after seeing Nightmist slinking around the edge of camp. Nightmist jumped as Duskpaw mewed a greeting to him.

"Any tasks for me?" Duskpaw tried to pretend nothing happened. Mostly to make Nightmist feel more guilty. He wondered… did his mentor fight? He couldn't picture his mentor fighting against his own Clan.

"Well… eh… you could..." Nightmist seemed lost in his words.

"Good idea, I'll go hunt," Duskpaw rambled, running out of camp before Nightmist could respond.

 _Now, to waste time…_

It took long enough, but just before sunhigh, Duskpaw hauled in his prey and hid in a corner next to the medicine cat den. He hadn't seen Ivy or Silentpaw all day, so he hoped it went well. He saw Ferretpaw approaching the den with the bird. They must've found everything! He focused his senses on the sound coming from the den.

"Brindlestripe, I promise you stress wouldn't affect my condition," Duskpaw heard Petaldust complain, "Just tell me what happened this morning while I was asleep!"

He heard Brindlestripe sigh, and Ferretpaw's voice entered the scene.

"Brindlestripe? I-I have a snack for you…" Ferretpaw began. Duskpaw clenched his jaw. _Don't stutter, Ferretpaw!_ He thought. _You'll make it obvious._

"Ferretpaw, I appreciate it, but I'm fine," Brindlestripe mewed patiently.

"Brindlestripe, you've been working all day and night. It's not even much to eat. You need this," Ferretpaw stated firmer than before. A silence filled the air. Duskpaw then heard the small thump of the prey hitting the ground. Brindlestripe thanked him and took a few steps, possibly toward the prey.

Then there was more silence.

"Ferretpaw, will you take over Petaldust for just a moment?" Brindlestripe asked, emotionless. Ferretpaw mewed a yes. Duskpaw saw Brindlestripe leaving with the bird. He felt excitement rush through his body. When Brindlestripe was out of sight, he came out of hiding, as did his friends.

"Ferretpaw?" Ivy breathed.

He had a big grin. "She was startled obviously," He turned his head back to the den ad his voice fell to a whisper, "but, I've got to take care of Petaldust. Follow Brindlestripe, all of you." Ferretpaw leapt back into the medicine cat den, and at the same time, Ivy, Silentpaw, Duskpaw, and Foxpaw, dashed after Brindlestripe's scent trail.

 _Brindlestripe_

Brindlestripe knew this wasn't a real sign from StarClan. She had been watching the apprentices' scheme for a while as the other senior warriors turned a blind eye to all the young ones. She even caught their scent nearby as Ferretpaw presented her with the bird. _Somehow, they must know,_ she thought, _and they want us to tell them._ It was very convincing, and she knew the apprentices meant no harm, and again, Brindlestripe can tell that it was a fake... but Echostar can't.

"Echostar?" Brindlestripe carefully approached her leader who still lay next to the pond Darkleaf had told her of.

"Have you come to criticize me, too?" Echostar asked dully.

"Echostar, I've received a sign from StarClan."

Echostar leapt to her feet immediately. "Waste no time! Tell me what it was!" She hissed, her eyes wild.

Brindlestripe dropped the baby bird at Echostar's feet.

"It was not a coincidence that I ran into this," Brindlestripe whispered. "You know what you have to do."

Echostar stared at it for a few more moments, and squeezed her eyes shut. Brindlestripe waited patiently.

At last, Echostar sighed. "We must… tell them. Tonight. I cannot ignore StarClan…" Echostar mumbled.

 _Or your conscience,_ thought Brindlestripe.

"Come. Let us prepare," Echostar stood up quickly, and motioned with her tail for Brindlestripe to follow.

Brindlestripe prayed her thanks to the apprentices.

 _Twig_

Twig hissed quietly in her sleep, her nose twitching slightly.

Scratch turned to his brother. "I don't think it's working Patch."

"Oh c'mon Scratch, we've gotta wake her up or-" Patch grew silent, his eyes grew wider than a mouse. A good sized mouse at that.

"Or what, Patch?" Scratch didn't like when his brother went quiet like this; it was almost never a good thing.

"Or you'll both be dead," finished a voice from somewhere in the alley. Definitely not good.

"Blizzard, we honor you," both of the cats meowed, dipping their heads as a sign of respect. They didn't look at his face; it was clan policy not to, so instead they stared at his feet and waited for him to speak.

"You two look and act like kittypets, but at least you know your place. Talon has been waiting, and he's grown tired. Move. I'll wake her." They obeyed, stepping out of Blizzard's way, only acknowledging his dirty white paws. He padded over to Twig's sleeping body silently, almost like a shadow, placing himself directly beside her. He waited for a second, not moving a muscle, and then he pounced.

Twig awoke to what she thought was a full-fledged attack. She screeched, jumping up and clawing whatever had hit her. As soon as she did that though, she realized her mistake. She had to blink a few times, but she found she was not mistaken.

The pristine white fur, dappled with black and now red. The missing left eye and claw marks still framing his face. Yes, she knew exactly who this was. She also knew exactly how much trouble she was in.

"B-Blizzard! I-I honor you," she dipped her head to him.

"We'll deal with punishment later. You and these kits are needed for a mission into the forest. Follow me." He began walking, and the three of them followed very close behind.

It didn't take long for them to reach their leader's alley. Talon sat waiting for them in the center of the path, surrounded by other well known warriors in the clan.

"Well, well, well. The kittypets decided to come around. I see we had a scuffle then? Oh, please, we can't be sending in more dead kitties now can we?" Talon's yellow eyes glowed in the darkness of the alley. Twig could only barely see the ratty brown fur that covered his body, little blotches of white speckled in. She could also see his claws, long and sharp, and also the reason he's called Talon. No one had ever been able to withstand his brutal attacks.

"Now, warriors, you must ambush ShadowClan, enter their part of the forest. Let yourselves be captured, but don't fight to hard. Weaken their good warriors, but don't show how good you are at combat. Let them take you back to Echostar, and when you've got her alone, tell her the secret."

They waited for more, but no more came.

"What secret?" Patch bravely mewed.

"Oh. That we've got a sign from Starclan."

Then, Talon stood, motioning with his tail for them to leave. His guards stood too, and walked away with him.

"Come with me." Blizzard meowed, and he began walking out of the alley. Again, they followed, and it didn't take long before they reached the edge of the Thunderpath. It looked clear of monsters, but they hesitated.

"Go," hissed Blizzard. They could tell he was getting angry with them.

"But Blizzard," Scratch began, "you're coming with us, right?"

He just stared them down. 'Guess that question was answered.

The three warriors checked one last time for any monsters, and seeing there were none, they ran as fast as their legs would take them over the Thunder path and into the forest...

It didn't take long for the patrols to notice the smell of outsiders. All around Twig, she heard panicked cats dashing around, searching for the intruders and meowing about clan safety. She figured they must have been attacked recently by how frantic they were in their pursuit to catch them.

She motioned to Scratch and Patch, perched in the thickets across the path, with her tail, and they motioned back. She waited a few breaths, and then calmly and carefully, she made a mad dash for the nearest warrior and pounced on his back, earning a startled yelp. She heard her friends doing the same, attacking whoever was nearest to them at the moment.

Fur was flying, claws slashing fur, teeth snapping at anything they could get a hold of, but the fights were short-lived. The three BloodClan cats gave in, knowing they'd done all they could to weaken the warriors without killing them.

"What is your problem, rouges!" screeched a pale ginger colored she cat.

"We are not rouges. And we have no business with you," meowed Twig calmly. "We assumed you were threats and attacked, and for that we are sorry."

She allowed herself to look sad and scared, hoping her friends would do the same. They picked up on her act, mimicking her upset look.

"It's just that we've been running from BloodClan for so long, we thought you may have been scouts." mumbled Patch.

At that, the warriors grew silent. The one pale ginger she cat from before spoke again, her tail twitching with worry.

"But...BloodClan? They're here in the Forest? How far have they chased them, why would you lead them here?" She looked frantic, and she paced back and forth quickly. "Oh, we better get you out of here before they pick up on your scents. Warriors, back to the clan! Alert Echostar that I'm bringing back three cats." They all began running back towards their clan, leaving the BloodClan cats with the she cat. She shook her head, clearing it of whatever she was thinking. "Follow me," was all she said before she began walking. And like before, they followed.

When they finally reached ShadowClan, a crowd had gathered, eagerly waiting to see just who these special three cats were. Twig kept her head low, eyes towards the ground. She heard a hush go over the crowd, and she lifted her head only slightly to see that a sleek-looking she cat had stepped forward to greet the pale ginger warrior. The warrior dipped her head, mumbling a quiet, "Echostar."

So this was Echostar. This was who they needed to talk to. Twig bowed her head again, staring at the ground to show fear. She was sure they could feel the mock emotion rolling off of them in waves.

"Ferngaze, leave them to me. Everyone, go back to what you were doing before. You three, follow me." And with that, Echostar turned and lead the way back to her den, the three cats right behind.

Once they were safely inside of her den, she turned on them. "Tell me exactly who you are and what exactly it is that you want."

"We are sorry for attacking your warriors; we were scared and assumed they wer-" Scratch began, but he was quickly cut off by Echostar.

"I know you're from BloodClan. It's obvious by the scratches and bites on my warriors. All I want to know is this: what is BloodClan planning? Why are you here?" Her eyes were wide, but nothing else gave away any hints of fear.

Twig shook her head and stared the she cat down. "We were sent by our leader with a message. StarClan has given us a sign."

This time, Echostar's tail began to twitch, with a slight pause following. "Please leave now," she ordered soon after.

And so they did.

The Truth

 _Ivy_

Ivy had seen the "rogues" come into the camp. She knew who they were… or at least she knew one of the cats. She knew that they hadn't seen her. The only question to be answered was why her past fellow Bloodclan cats were in Shadowclan. Twig used to be Ivy's friend, and Ivy was very used to reading Twig's body movements, but Twig didn't seem to be looking around for Ivy. Surely she knew that Ivy was here, didn't she? Blizzard surely would have told all of Bloodclan how Ivy had betrayed them and ran away while on a hunt, marking her for life as a coward.

 _Unless..._

Unless Blizzard had thought of a more sinister plan.

He was, after all, the self-proclaimed "ruler of all cats." Letting one of his followers escape so easily would not look good on his behalf. It would not be beyond Blizzard to send his warriors to kill another brown she-cat about her age and size, and mangle the body beyond the point of recognition. Then present the cat as Ivy.

Yes. That was something the Blizzard would do, and that would explain why Twig was not looking for her. The thought of another innocent… well… as innocent as any Bloodclan cat could be...cat dying for her made Ivy seethe with anger and rage.

"ECHOSTAR!" Ivy roared, causing several cats to turn and stare at her. Echostar peered out of her den, looking confused. Ivy stalked over to her and into her den. It was empty except for her. Good.

"Ivy how dare-" Echostar began but stopped suddenly, seeing the look of pure hatred and pain in Ivy's eyes. "What's happened?" Echostar asked.

"Those rogues. They are not rogues. They are current members of Bloodclan. Warriors in fact. Or at least they were when I left. The she-cat, Twig was my ally. You might have even called us friends..." and Ivy began to tell Echostar her theory of what happened.

 _Duskpaw_

So much had happened.

Duskpaw had run back to camp just a few moments ago with his paws burning with anticipation for Echostar to explain everything. Somehow, their plan had completely worked. He met his friends, Echostar had gathered them, and then…

Bloodclan cats. They entered camp with their heads low, but their eyes glittering with a plan. Echostar summoned them into her den, and they'd just left. Just like that.

The cats of the clan stood in their usual small groups. Except this time, they didn't whisper; they just stared. _They must be able to tell they're the enemy as well_ , Duskpaw thought. _They couldn't hide their stench._

Not even the burly camp guard, Toadleap, asked them why they were allowed to leave so easily.

"ECHOSTAR!"

Ivy's voice was so sudden and loud that it made Duskpaw nearly jump out of his fur. His friends and he didn't ask why she did it, nor did they ask why she charged straight into Echostar's den. They just stood there.

The stars seemed to shift as Echostar finally exited the den with Ivy. Ivy came back to Duskpaw, Foxpaw, Silentpaw, and Ferretpaw. She did nothing but nod, and turn to face Echostar who was now perched on the Branch. Duskpaw caught her flashing Ivy a quick meaningful glance, then turned to face her clan that had silently waited for her.

"You've all been so patient. I thank you," Echostar began.

"Who were those cats?" Fuzzywhisker already interrupted her with a challenging glare.

"I ask for a moment more of your patience. For I will now explain what you've all already suspected… and what some of us have held from some of you. And what you need to know."

No one spoke this time. But Duskpaw could feel some of the senior warriors' fur prickling in discomfort. And yet, none of them made a move to stop her.

"It's obvious that we're being attacked by a group of cats that hold a grudge against us. But these cats have a name."

"Bloodclan," whispered Fogpath from the crowd.

Some shocked gasps escaped the mouths of a few cats, but there was still no speaking.

"Yes, Bloodclan," Echostar sighed, "They hardly deserve a title 'clan' for all that they're worth. All they are is a gang of bloodthirsty beasts."

Duskpaw also felt Ivy stiffen to this, but she said nothing.

"And as you all can probably guess… Ivy was one of them. As were those cats that just entered our camp. But Ivy has helped us in many ways. And for that we thank her," Echostar meowed with an even voice, bowing her head to Ivy.

Ivy dipped her head in response and received a few stares, but the attention returned to Echostar.

"And now I am sure you were wondering why these monsters hold such a grudge against us. Well… there was once a time when a leader's deputy was deathly ill. This leader happened to have four children, and it was common for a leader to replace its dying deputy with its own kit. So you could say it had become a competition between the four cats to earn their father's respect and gain the title of deputy, and to be the next leader."

Of the four kits, there was one that was slightly… weaker than the rest, so to say. And he was aware that he was losing his father's attention. He knew he needed a good idea to save his reputation. He meant no harm in his idea… but it was not one of the Warrior Code. Or even worth a glance. The time was going through a famine, so he believed that the clan should start looking towards two-legs and their food for help. He believed that he could even teach good tactics to do so."

That plan was so childish and dishonorable, the clan could do nothing but laugh at his stupidity. But since he was the child of the leader, he wasn't even punished. What an awful life he must've had at that point. The clan would tease him every time they saw him. They would beat him down for having avoided punishment. But honestly, having this happen to him was most likely the worst punishment. It drove him mad. In all his rage and shame, he finally released it on his own brother. He killed him. He destroyed his own blood, for he thought he could do nothing else, since this was the brother that was closest to becoming deputy. His father and leader could not leave this overlooked. He banished him. But even worse, before he did, he forced the shamed, foolish, weak tom to stand in the center of camp with the whole clan watching, and the leader ripped his eye straight out of his head. Such brutality shouldn't have been pardoned in this clan. But it was. They sent the fool off bleeding, almost dying, and never spoke of him again."

The clan would have never guessed that he would come across another strong clan, that had a twisted mind that matched his own. He found Bloodclan somehow. He rose in rank. And he launched an attack with it on his own Shadowclan. We were lucky to win. But we didn't win without having a scar within us that matched that of the face of the fool. This fool's name… is Blizzard."

For some reason, hearing that name caused Ivy's fur to stand completely on end. It gave Duskpaw chills.

"Not only is he now the leader of Bloodclan, but he was… my brother. My youngest brother. It was my siblings and I who were in that silent competition that drove him mad. It was my father that pushed the horrible fate upon Blizzard. And it was the seniors of this clan who watched, and helped tease him to insanity. Having created such a broken soul… we decided never to speak of it…" Echostar croaked, and closed her eyes.

The rest of the clan had to have been as shocked as Duskpaw was. His mind was too surprised and horrified to process.

Echostar's eyes opened. "We are blessed enough to have had Ivy come to our side, and we must prepare for the second war that Blizzard is declaring upon us. We've tried to keep this war from our children, but it is hurting you in doing so. We apologize. And we ask for peace from our previous hostilities to defeat this danger, once and for all. Please." Her voice cracked on the last word, despite how strong her voice had stayed the rest of the time. Perhaps that was what gave her the respect of the youth, to see she had emotion.

And their eyes met, all of the youth and all of the old at once it felt. They understood that the past was behind them, and they needed to prepare for the future. The feeling sent wild relief through Duskpaw. It seemed ridiculous that such a petty emotion, pride, had almost torn apart a clan. And it was fitting that recognition was the solution.

"Thank StarClan," Silentpaw sighed.

Duskpaw turned to his friends. He wanted nothing more than to press his muzzle up against all of them at once, but he knew now was the time for action. Plus, that would be stupid.

"Well, what are we doing?" Darkleaf shouted. "We've got barbarians getting ready to charge at us! Let us pull together patrols to rip off their sorry tails!"

Purrs of amusements and shouts of excitement responded. Duskpaw joined in on the shouting. He blinked farewell to his friends and dashed to find his mentor, who when he found, seemed to be looking for him as well.

"D-Duskpaw… I'm so sorry," his voice trembled.

"Just teach me how to fight better already," Duskpaw purred.

They stared at each other for a moment, and then leapt together for the camp entrance. Duskpaw could see by the previous twinkle in Nightmist's eye that he knew that Duskpaw had known about BloodClan for a long time.

 _Twig_

Twig's tail twitched, her eyes scanning the area. Behind her stood Patch and Scratch, waiting patiently for her to tell them whether it was safe to cross or not. No monsters were in sight and hadn't been since they'd arrived at the Thunderpath, so she nodded at each of them. Together, they took off, running as fast as their legs could take them across the Thunderpath. Once they'd made it across, they began slowly making their way back to BloodClan, none of the three even daring to speak. Once they made it about halfway back, Patch finally mewed what had been on all of their minds.

"I think I must be crazy," he began, his voice shaking a bit. Twigs whiskers began to twitch. She knew what he was going to say.

"I saw Ivy."

"I saw her too. Truly, I thought it was a mirage. But now... I'm not sure what to think..." Scratch shook his head, swiping at an invisible mouse.

"Do... Do you think..." Twig began, but was quickly cut off by Scratch.

"Twig, don't start it. It's not happening. Let's just get home and report to Blizzard and Talon. We can talk about this later."

The rest of their journey home was filled with a painful silence, and were each glad when they finally made it back. Their joy was short-lived, though, because waiting for them was Blizzard.

They each bowed their heads, purring a quick, "We honor you," as he strutted over to them. He gazed at each of them, his eyes lingering only just too long on Twig. She shivered.

"Well, warriors, I'm assuming that you've completed your tasks. For now, I'm through with you. Report to battle training at moonhigh; we've got a war to prepare for." They nodded, and he turned and melted back into the shadows, likely going back to talk with Talon. Twig looked at her friends, and shuffled her paws.

"I'm going back to the alley; I need some rest before training. You two should do the same." They nodded, and all went their separate ways.

Seeing Ivy had sparked something in Twig, and she couldn't help but feel sad and angry. She could remember their lives back then. She and Ivy were great friends, brought together by a secret.

 _Why couldn't I have just kept my big mouth shut?_ she mewed to herself, hiding her nose in her paws and slowly drifting off to sleep.

 _It was quiet enough to hear the desperate squeak of a dying mouse. The dark of the night mixed with the shadow of the alley, making a new somberness that was almost as bad as the moonless nights. Even with this hindering her, she could see the glint of moonlight on claws as a figure leapt from the shadows, pouncing on the waiting she cat. The two leapt about, claws and teeth flashing, fur on end. But no noises could be heard. The two cats made sure not to let themselves make any sounds, for fear someone may find out about their late night battles. After all, conspiracy is not to be taken lightly in BloodClan._

 _"Aaand... stop!" Twig whispered, pushing herself in-between her two friends. They parted, returning to their normal states. Ivy's tail twitched happily; she'd finally learned her hardest move yet, and the good feelings rolled off her in waves. Twig looked at the two kin, showing them her content. She'd seen plenty of the elders battle, and she was sure that almost none of them would be able to beat these two._

 _"Ivy, Boulder, you both have definitely improved from the last battle. That was amazing! And you didn't even make a sound!"_

 _Boulder moved to sit near his sister, making sure he stepped on her tail at least once. "Of course we're better; I've been training us."_

 _"Oh please, furbrain, don't be so kittish," Ivy mewed playfully, swiping at his nose._

 _Twig watched as they played, silently thanking the world that they didn't know, that she was such a good liar. She didn't think she'd be able to face them again; the guilt was beginning to tear her apart._

 _Boulder stopped playing suddenly, turning to peak at Twig. "Is something wrong?" he mewed worriedly._

 _"You're shaking." Ivy nodded, her whiskers twitching with worry for her friend. Twig sighed, staring at her paws._

 _"Guys," she began, "I need to tell you something..."_

Twig awoke with a start. She felt many emotions, and none were very good ones. She looked up at the sky, and realized just how late she'd slept; it was almost moonhigh! She leapt from her resting place, and hurried to get to battle training before it was too late. She didn't think she could take a punishment at this point.


	9. Chapter 14 and 15

A Clan United

 _Duskpaw_

"Better. Just keep focusing on letting that weight sit in your haunches," Nightmist complemented. Duskpaw was surprised the first time that Nightmist actually approved of him in this bout, and was even more surprised the next few times.

"It feels like you're finally paying attention," Nightmist purred. Duskpaw landed his battle move, turned quickly to face Nightmist, and sat.

They weren't in the usual training patch; that was filled with group training. Duskpaw requested some one-on-one with Nightmist before they joined the rest of those who were doing battle preparation. They now stood in the mud of the marsh, next to a random rock the size of two cats, deciding they should practice where they know they could have a terrain advantage against the Bloodclan cats who weren't used to balancing on the soggy earth.

"So how is this whole attack thing being planned out?" Duskpaw asked, shifting his paws to keep them from sinking too far in the mud.

"What do you mean by that?" Nightmist questioned in return and sat to mirror Duskpaw.

"Well, I mean are we attacking them, or are we waiting for them to attack us?" Duskpaw tried to specify.

Nightmist lightly tapped the tip of his tail to the ground, in thought for a moment. "Echostar and Darkleaf have not openly decided what they would like to do."

"We're going to wait, right? Because that gives us the terrain advantage like you said, and we have time to prepare before they get here. For all we know, we could have loads of time."

"Not necessarily. Not that your logic isn't true… but we also hold an advantage in stealth. If they attack us first, we'll never be able to sneak out of their way and bombard them from all angles, as we teach and perfect in night training, remember?"

"Couldn't we catch them coming with the posted watches we have set up on the borders?"

"Bloodclan isn't mouse-brained. They know we'll have cats set up to sense them coming, and will charge straight into our territory as fast as they can so we have no time to make formations, despite the fact that they know they're seen."

Duskpaw considered this. It seemed both ways had their advantages and disadvantages. He craned his head upwards. The moon was the only thing in the dark sky that was visible; clouds were floating over StarClan. And the moon was close to being full. Duskpaw hoped this war could be terminated before the gathering, though the other clans have probably already started catching on to something. He then thought about how it wasn't but early this morning that he and his mentor hadn't cooperated well. He also realized not even a complete moon has passed since he met Ivy. But the war had been going on silently for so much longer.

"Nightmist…. How well did you know that Blizzard cat?" Duskpaw quietly mewed.

Nightmist's fur prickled. "Not exactly... too well…"

"But what did you know and feel about him?"

The black tom squeezed his eyes shut. "He was called Blizzardpelt. I was an apprentice at the time of the whole affair of Alderstar choosing a new deputy. I didn't know much. But I did know that it was obviously going to be one of his children, because of clan gossip, and that everyone expected Alderstar to choose… Nettlefang."

Duskpaw felt his heart skip a beat. "Nettle-"

"Yes, we suspect the reason why Nettleheart was the first, and innocent, murdered among this generation was to remind us of how Blizzard killed Nettlefang, his own blood. We don't know how Blizzard knew, but Nettleheart was named in honor of Nettlefang by his mother, Ferngaze. Before Nettlefang died, he and Ferngaze were expected to become mates. She loved him very much. You can imagine her current mate, Smokefoot, was slightly uncomfortable by his son being named after past competition, but Smokefoot has a good heart and a patient mind," Nightmist smiled at the thought of his old friend, "but that's irrelevant. Back to what I knew about Blizzard, I didn't think much of him before he announced his crazy idea. He was sort of an underdog; not much a young apprentice would look up to. And…" Nightmist sighed, "I was definitely one of the cats that teased him about his idea. All of the cats I looked up to did it; even Alderstar started shunning Blizzard."

"And don't think of it like how you tease Ferretpaw, or how you used to. Yes, I've seen you doing it before," Nightmist scorned. Duskpaw wondered why Nightmist didn't stop him, though.

"Go on then," Duskpaw urged dismissively.

"Right, the teasing. It wasn't anything less than cruel. We all either threw the darkest things we could find to say, or refused to acknowledge his existence. And it wasn't just words or no words. Some beat him occasionally, I heard. And I would see him limping. There was even a time I remember saying, 'Did the other kittypets chase you away from their food?'. I supposed it wasn't too bad of a taunt, but to be a previously respected, though not noticed much, son of a leader, and being bullied by a young apprentice must've been painful. Painful enough to drive him to insanity."

Duskpaw tipped his head to the side. "I can't seeing you be so mean… or following what other cats did," he mewed with a slow, shaking head.

"Maybe that's why I try not to do it so much anymore. Because I've learned what it can do."

"But how did the leader let this happen? Or the medicine cat?"

"Alderstar was a leader with darker visions, as was his dying deputy; and our medicine cat was a bit off in the head, or so we thought. He always fled at the sight of Blizzard. Brindlestripe was Brindlepaw, though an old apprentice. She tried to be as friendly as she could I believe, but with the whole clan so strongly set to a certain opinion, there wasn't much room for an out-of-the-box thinker. You see, Alderstar's frightening attitude was influential and contagious. He stood firm against other clans, and represented us well in front of the other clans. But when we were to ourselves, you could sense this odd way he thought. And he was supported by everyone, since he'd never done anything directly wrong. That is, until what he did to Blizzardpelt. I mean Blizzard."

Like Echostar said, when Blizzard killed Nettlefang, Alderstar ripped Blizzard's eye straight out of his face in one blow. And sent him off; just like that. Alderstar could have just banished him. Instead, he also tore his son's face to make sure Blizzard would never forget what he did. He certainly didn't, since he tried to destroy us before and is trying again."

"You all say it was your fault for Blizzard's turning evil or whatever. I don't think it was just the torture of the clan that made him kill Nettlefang," Duskpaw enjoyed talking about this; maybe it was because it haunted him.

"I will agree with you; I don't think every cat put in his situation would turn to killing. But definitely wouldn't have happened if we hadn't goaded him into it. But again, I see your point. Alderstar passed whatever strange trait he carried to his kits. They were also only raised by him, I've been told. Their mother died when they were very young. So there's that, and the fact that they were slightly spoiled because of being the leader's children, and that the whole clan had been fiercer acting since Alderstar's leadership.

Also, my mate was his apprentice. It was traumatizing for her, because she too went along with the cruelty. But she just ignored Blizzard; she didn't want to directly hurt him. She told me she missed him, but was too afraid of the clan to face him. However, she has said that she remembers him occasionally acting strange before the affair anyways. She wasn't specific, but I think you understand."

"…Yeah. And I think I can also kinda see Echostar getting those… weird moments."

"Echostar is much better than the others were; it's good and surprising that Alderstar chose her as deputy, since she was the one that most openly learned from our mistake. You would think he would've chosen Fogpath by the way they think closer. Maybe Alderstar felt bad about everything, but his pride kept him from admitting it. But yes. You can still catch some unstable moments. The clan has mentally improved so much since Alderstar's death."

"Oh. ….But how did Alderstar die?"

"I'm not sure what took most of his lives, but his last was taken not long after Blizzard attacked us with Bloodclan. Alderstar survived that battle and won it for us, but ironically, was killed by monster about a moon after. How such a clever leader was taken by that is beyond me. I was a warrior then, but was never told of the details."

"More secrets, except this time, _you_ are the one who doesn't know the answer," Duskpaw felt slightly superior.

Nightmist stood up and stretched. "Yes, but you don't know either. And this secret deserves to be left to die out, I believe."

Duskpaw considered this. More distrust was the last thing the clan needed. "Yeah you're right." He pulled himself up after Nightmist.

Nightmist took a deep breath in. "So, shall we finish up this one-on-one then?" He asked, motioning to the rock with a quick jerk of his head.

Duskpaw opened his mouth to say yes, but closed it and thought for a moment longer.

"One more question," Duskpaw felt embarrassed, and looked at the ground, "do you think I'm doing better now?"

"You were doing fine before."

"C'mon."

"Well… you do seem like you're suddenly trying harder now, as I said before," Nightmist responded. Duskpaw brought his gaze back to his mentor.

"I felt like I was trying hard before," Duskpaw felt his voice crack a little from frustration of his previous failures, but for once he didn't care.

Nightmist stared at him for a moment, and Duskpaw watched as he seemed to slowly turn his attention to every single thing around them before looking back at Duskpaw.

"Perhaps now you feel like you have something to fight for," he finally told Duskpaw.

"I've always had something to fight for," Duskpaw scoffed at his mentor's logic. Nightmist's whiskers twitched in amusement. This offended Duskpaw; why wasn't he taking him seriously now?

"Like the clan," Duskpaw offered an example, "we're supposed to do everything for the clan…" He was running out of ideas, "and because I like winning. And to make you pleased with me." He disappointed himself with how silly those somehow sounded. But they were true of course!

"I've noticed you've made some friends. That's good. You needed some," Nightmist purred.

Nightmist was changing the topic! …Or was he? Duskpaw thought about his friends. Would he die for them…? Of course he would. He would die for the whole clan, just as he's always promised himself. And yet… somehow he could feel something else from thinking of his friends. Something different than just the clan as a whole. Duskpaw was fairly certain it was a good feeling.

"Yeah, well, I've always had friends," Duskpaw lied. And Nightmist knew he was lying.

But the black furred mentor said nothing more, and flicked his ears to signal for Duskpaw to get in a battle stance. Duskpaw filled his head with thoughts of his friends, and let his strength from it guide him.

Dark and Light

 _Darkleaf_

"A sign…. They're bluffing of course. BloodClan doesn't believe in StarClan," Darkleaf tried to reassure his leader. And himself.

"But we haven't heard anything from StarClan recently. Aside from that bird I told you about…" Echostar turned towards Brindlestripe, who was also in the den with he and Echostar, as if she knew the answers to everything.

"I've gotten no other signs from StarClan, Echostar; you know I would tell you as soon as I get one," Brindlestripe sighed. But she seemed uneasy. Darkleaf narrowed his eyes. He would talk to her later.

"Yes, I know you're trying your hardest. I thank you. But though the clan's spirits are high at the moment, they'll soon begin to think about the situation. We need them to be calm, and to trust us," Echostar seemed to be talking more to herself.

"And what could they mean by a sign? What did the sign say?" Darkleaf unsheathed his claws to the thought of those heartless beasts. StarClan would _never_ support them… right?

"If we take it as a bluff, it could calm cats down, but we're not sure it actually is one," Echostar threw around ideas, "so that could be putting us in danger. How would we find out if there's a bluff or not?"

"We should shove Ivy back into Bloodclan," Darkleaf grunted.

"That would do nothing, obviously," Echostar hissed.

Darkleaf sighed. He knew that. And Ivy was a good cat. But he was starting to panic slightly, though he knew he didn't appear so on the outside. He calmed his nerves for Echostar's sake. And the clan's.

"But didn't you say she has a serious relevant connection to BloodClan? And even Blizzard himself?" Darkleaf asked his leader. Brindlestripe's eyes lit up in surprise.

"Our young Ivy?" Brindlestripe whispered.

"There isn't any other one," Echostar replied sharply. She breathed in, and released the air heavily. "Forgive me for snapping, my mind is busy. But yes, Ivy told me about herself. I would not like to discuss it without her here, and without her approval, if you don't mind."

Brindlestripe and Darkleaf nodded together, understanding.

Echostar returned the nod, and padded to the back of her den, and lowered herself onto her nest.

"You are both dismissed. Please send for Ivy; I'd like her opinion on this whole thing," she sighed. "And please. Keep the clan calm."

Darkleaf bowed with Brindlestripe, and they both exited the den. Darkleaf nipped the tip of Brindlestripe's tail, and before she could protest, motioned for her to follow him with a flick of his tail. They went into a good, quiet corner of camp. Darkleaf scanned the entire clearing. It was mostly empty; the cats were out training.

"Well what is it then?" Brindlestripe whispered angrily.

"…What aren't you telling Echostar?" Darkleaf kept his body completely still.

Her eyes sparkled with her quick mind. "I tell Echostar everything she needs to be told. You shouldn't challenge a medicine cat."

"What did you say to Echostar to make her talk? Not that it wasn't a relief, or a blessing. But you did something, didn't you?" Darkleaf hoped she understood he was questioning her as a friend.

She hesitated.

"The sign Echostar received was not from StarClan. It was from a group of young, concerned cats. And so I interpreted it as a medicine cat should. I'm telling you because I trust you, and you deserve to know. You musn't speak of this to anyone," Brindlestripe told him with an even voice.

Darkleaf nodded slowly. And now he understood what was bothering Brindlestripe.

"StarClan hasn't spoken to us at all since this has started," Darkleaf breathed. And he felt afraid. He didn't want to feel like this, but he did. Because if StarClan wasn't on their side…

 _Who is? Do we even stand a chance?_

"Have faith, Darkleaf," Brindlestripe soothed in a gentle voice. "We might have done something wrong in the past, but we're fighting for those we love now. And we're so much better than we were before. We have to believe StarClan is on our side."

Darkleaf clenched his jaw. But nodded slowly again.

"Even if they aren't with us, I will fight for this Clan until there isn't a single breath left in any of our cats," Darkleaf vowed.

"Hopefully it won't get that far," Brindlestripe fretted. She touched her tail to Darkleaf's cheek. "Now summon Ivy," she whispered, and turned quickly to dash to her den.

Darkleaf felt chained to this corner with his new knowledge. But he shoved his will, and started trotting slowly to find Ivy.

 _Blizzard_

Blizzard pushed his paw to sink his claws into the belly of the rat, until he felt them rip all the way to the concrete floor. He squeezed so that the entrails and blood of the rat started sliding through and around his paw. He smiled his crooked smile, which matched his horribly crooked face. _Blood,_ he thought to himself as he watched it spread from the dead animal, _It never truly disappears. It flows constantly, and can reach the farthest and darkest corners and stick to it and overwhelm the secrets with how thick it is, how warm it is-_

"I honor you Blizzard. And your new friend has returned," Talon interrupted Blizzard's thoughts with scratchy meow. Blizzard brought his gaze to the voice.

"Because your twisted face was the thing I wanted to see the most while I was thinking deeply," Blizzard hissed sarcastically. Talon bowed his head in submission. Blizzard felt his stress and anger build up again while he waited for Talon to do something.

"Well?! Bring him to me!" Blizzard shouted, and Talon jumped and dashed away.

Blizzard growled, and started grinding his teeth forwards and backwards. Forwards and backwards. The sound made his fur prickle, and he welcomed it. It relieved him for a moment, as did the rat which now laid in pieces around him. But he'd grown bored of the beast. Forwards and backwards.

It was just his luck the same cat that he knew challenged his power happened to come across the very clan that stole his previous life. And now that clan was trying to take this life. Forwards. And. Backwards. Fo-

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," a new voice spoke.

Blizzard turned his only eye to the cat standing in front of him. He hated this cat. He hated everything about this cat. This cat was not afraid of him. This cat wanted to steal everything Blizzard had ever worked for. Blizzard wanted nothing more than rip _his_ eye out. To rip both of them out. But Blizzard needed him… for now.

Blizzard spoke as slowly as he could without tearing his own fur out. "I would appreciate a more respectful entrance."

The cat ignored him and glanced around. They were in an abandoned two-leg place; everything was the color of soot, and everything was close to destroyed. Blizzard felt superior in this dark place with his white fur and his vicious appearance. Its permanent shadow made Blizzard stand out; it showed he wasn't afraid of hiding.

"Yeah so, I'm going to ShadowClan tomorrow," the cat finally told him casually. "That's it."

"Perfect. I dare you to screw this up," Blizzard snarled at the ignorant, dark grey cat.

The cat sat down and shrugged. "Is there nothing else you need to tell me?" The cat asked heavily, like Blizzard was obviously forgetting something.

If Blizzard said no, it would look like he had nothing clever to say, or that he assumed that he thought this cat was smart enough to think of something without him. If he said yes, it would be giving in to the obvious indicator that the cat had given that Blizzard needed to say more. Blizzard hated this cat. He flattened his ears.

"Remember to keep your distance from my cats. You have nothing you need to say to them. Only speak to them to get to me, or to deliver news," Blizzard ordered.

…And then he thought of Twig. "In fact, you can stay away from she cats altogether. Only toms are close to me. And it's only a select few-"

"Yeah yeah whatever. I'm leaving now," the cat said with a yawn. He leapt onto his feet, and padded at a usual pace towards the large opening that led out of the abandoned two-leg hut. But he paused right before he went through it, and turned his head back to Blizzard.

"I hope you weren't planning on eating that rat," the cat called as final words, and left.

Blizzard hated this cat.


	10. Chapter 16

Boulder

 _Ivy_

"You summoned me?" Ivy half asked, half stated as she walked into Echostar's den casually.

Though Echostar was the clan leader, Ivy had begun to look at her more as a friend than a superior figure. Ivy sat down before the leader, staring at her.

Echostar stared back for a moment until she finally spoke. "Yes… I was just wondering if you could give me any more information about Bloodclan to help prepare for this attack."

Ivy's face fell a little, but she nodded anyway. "Of course," she said dryly, "what would you like to know?"

Echostar thought for a moment before getting up from the place where she was previously sitting and began pacing.

"I'm not sure. Just anything that might help. You see, the Bloodclan cats that came in here told me about a sign that they received from Starclan." Echostar said.

Ivy laughed in amusement. "You do know that Bloodclan doesn't believe in Starclan, right?" Ivy asked, wondering how Blizzard could even begin to think that this would fool anyone. Even someone who was mousebrained could know that it was a bluff.

Echostar nodded. "Which was why I was wondering if you could help me figure out his thinking behind this. Surely Blizzard would know that we would know it was a fake? He may be ruthless, but he's not mousebrained. He's actually fairly intelligent. You know that though, you were under him for a while."

Ivy winced at this. "I know how smart he is. He's clever enough to be a danger to any clan he has a problem with. He's clever enough to play with our minds." Ivy said, more to herself than to Echostar.

Tilting her head to the side, Echostar sat still, not following Ivy's thoughts. A little amused, Ivy proceeded to explain her thinking.

"Blizzard knew that we would think it was a bluff, but he also knew that you, or someone here, would think him foolish to use such an obvious bluff, but then you would think 'Why did he send it then? What more is there to it?' It's obvious that some of your clan would think you a bit foolish to look into it any. Eventually it will cause conflict. Some of your clan thinking that you are wasting time on this, which might mean more lives lost. Arguments will break out like they did before and it will give Blizzard just enough time to attack when we are fighting amongst ourselves." Ivy paused and then added, "This is just my thinking though. It could be completely false."

Echostar blinked before rising from her spot. "Thank you, Ivy. You are dismissed."

Ivy nodded and began to leave, when a yowl sounded through the camp.

"Echostar!" Nightmist slid into the den entrance, a worried look on his face. "There's a new cat entering the camp. He says he's looking for-" He paused, slowly turning towards Ivy, "You, Ivy."

Echostar and Ivy glanced at each other before the three cats rushed out of the den.

The moment the new cat was visible, Ivy stopped dead in her tracks, frozen to the spot. Echostar stopped, too, perhaps because she was worried -or, terrified- from the expression on Ivy's face. Ivy's face went blank as she recognized the new cat.

"Boulder." she breathed.

 _Twig_

Twig shivered as she hid. A breeze had just begun to blow, a rarity in the old twoleg alley because of the huge rocks that sheltered the cats from almost anything. _Now's my chance,_ she thought to herself, spotting her target just before the she cat could make it back into the shadows. Twig flung herself from her perch onto the mud-covered tabby's back, pretending to dig her claws and sink her teeth into the soft flesh. The cat flung her off, twisting around to face her.

"Stop!" came a voice from across the alleyway.

The two turned to face the direction it came from, bowing their heads.

"Fang, you will do this over again. Twig, no more pretending. Rip her to pieces." The tom stepped out into the center where the moonlight shone brightest. His white fur shone bright under the moon, making him look almost ghost-like. Fang dipped her head lower in shame, then turned to Twig.

"Do not hold back. What Blizzard wants is what he will get."

Twig couldn't bring herself to look at this cat. She was a rarity: someone who, back in the old days, could have possibly been trusted. A low-ranked, almost friendly warrior who could definitely hold her own in battle. Twig liked Fang, and she thought Fang at least mildly respected her. Or maybe she despised her because of how well Blizzard was treating her. It didn't matter, though. Twig was given orders, and no one disrespects Blizzard unless they have a deathwish.

So, Twig puffed out her fur a bit, making herself look tougher than she felt. She nodded at Fang, and she hoped the she cat could tell just how much it pained her to do this. The two went back to their original positions, Fang on one end of the alley and Twig on the other. And then, Twig waited.

Fang rushed as fast as she could to get to the shadows, but Twig was just too fast for her to escape. She pounced, unsheathing her claws and pushing them deep into Fang's back. Fang screeched, twisting and turning and trying her hardest to get Twig off of her, but all she really ended up doing was getting her back sliced up even more, Twig's claws sliding down her back. The blood made it hard for Twig to hold on, so she bit down on Fang's neck, not allowing herself to give up now. Blizzard was watching, and she had to do him justice no matter how much she hated him, no matter how much she hated this, and no matter how much it made her hate herself.

After a while, she jumped off of Fang who swayed and struggled to stay on her feet.

"Finish her," Blizzard meowed calmly.

Twig dipped her head to Blizzard, then to Fang. If she was going to do this, she'd give her the proper respect. Fang closed her eyes and waited for the final blow, her legs shaking and unable to hold her up much longer. Twig sighed, and then rushed forwards, dragging her claws over Fang's face and body and biting her throat, ripping holes in the poor she cat's ruined body. Twig took a few steps back, the bitter taste of cat blood filling her mouth, and watched as Fang's body fell limp to the ground.

She felt sick, but Blizzard's enthusiastic purr of "Well done, Twig." made her feel even sicker. She shook her head and watched as Blizzard made his way over to her.

Once he got in front of her, she bowed her head, mumbling a quiet "I honor you." His tail glided from side to side, and he was radiating a happy feeling, one that Twig never expected to feel from Blizzard. She shuddered, her fur standing on edge, but he touched his tail to her cheek. Affection. She shuddered again.

"Your claws are wonderful. You should shred things for me more often, Twig. Go rest, I will not allow you to fail because of exhaustion at tomorrow's training." Then, he turned and left, somehow making his white fur blend into the shadows of the alley.

Twig walked over to the body of her could-have-been friend, and lay down beside her mangled body, burying her face in her fur.

"I honor you, Fang."

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw sat puzzled at the camp entrance. He and Nightmist had been on their way to join group training, and they ran into a cat that smelled of Bloodclan, but also…

"Ivy," the cat Ivy called 'Boulder' purred in response.

Ivy and Boulder walked towards each other to press their muzzles together. Duskpaw could feel relief coming from Ivy.

But Duskpaw didn't return the feeling for some reason…

 _'You have to take me to Ivy,'_ this, Boulder had told Duskpaw and Nightmist as he came across them. He told them it was vital for the survival of this clan. Duskpaw and Nightmist figured if he was actually a Bloodclan warrior… well they'd let those other three in and out peacefully before, so they had nothing to lose. Also... the cat was incredibly polite.

 _So, what's bothering me?_ Duskpaw thought to himself.

"Boulder?" Echostar questioned, and looked at Ivy. Ivy turned away from Boulder to face her. Boulder followed.

He bowed his head. "That's me," he smirked. "Sorry for jumping in on an odd time, but I've been kinda lost."

Echostar opened her mouth to start talking, but Ivy leapt to her and whispered something in her ear. Echostar closed her mouth and nodded.

"Excuse me?" Nightmist cut in. "But who in the name of Starclan is this cat?" Nightmist was apparently as confused as Duskpaw. But somehow Echostar understood Boulder's presence.

"This is my friend," Ivy explained slowly. "You could say we 'worked' together in Bloodclan…"

There were only about two other cats in the camp, not including Brindlestripe and Ferretpaw. All the others were out training, but the ones in camp glanced suspiciously towards the new cat.

"That's all very well, but what is he doing here?" Nightmist worriedly mewed. Boulder dipped his head in response.

"I've come looking for Ivy, but it appears that you have quite a situation in your paws. I'd be willing to help," Boulder explained calmly.

Echostar blinked at Ivy. "If you trust him, I do. Does he have information?" She asked while standing up.

"I'm not sure," Ivy meowed. "Do you mind if we converse enough to catch up? I promise you he'll be helpful."

"Yeah, I'm helpful," Boulder purred, unphased by the obviously rushed clan.

"Do what you need. Please come talk to me in my den when you've finished," Echostar stated smoothly, and turned to pad back to her den. Nightmist quickly followed her, with his tail twitching anxiously.

And so Duskpaw had nothing to do. He watched Ivy and Boulder pad to Ivy's den, side by side. And suddenly Ferretpaw was beside him with prickling fur.

"T-That cat…" The tabby stuttered. "There's something I don't like about him."

Duskpaw too felt the spine tingling oddity that emitted from Ivy's companion. But the cat was so friendly. And Ivy felt so close to him.

"Let's go ask her more about him," Duskpaw suggested. Ferretpaw nodded and lead the way to the den.

Once they neared the den entrance, they slowed their pace. To Duskpaw, it felt as if he shouldn't take another step forward. He bumped Ferretpaw with his side.

"Well go on," Duskpaw whispered through gritted teeth.

Ferretpaw still had some fur sticking up on his spine, but he entered, anyway. But slowly.

"Boulder… that's too dangerous," Ivy was whispering.

"Oh, well. What's done is done. We're at an advantage with what I have," Boulder whispered nonchalantly in return.

"You-" Ivy stopped herself, and turned to the entrance. "Duskpaw, Ferretpaw."

The two toms rigidly entered the den.

"Who're they?" Boulder complained.

"I brought you into the camp," Duskpaw hissed.

"They're fine Boulder. They're friends," she blinked at them. Duskpaw felt Ferretpaw relax slightly. "So. What did you want?" She sounded like she was trying to keep calm from another disturbing thought.

"Um… well w-we… wanted to meet your friend," Ferretpaw probably had good wording for once in his life. Or better then Duskpaw would have done.

Boulder flicked his ears and stared hard at Ivy. Ivy hesitated for a moment.

"They can be completely trusted," she told Boulder. This comment offended Duskpaw. Why _wouldn't_ he be trusted?

Boulder sighed. "Allow me to start. Ivy is my sister."

Duskpaw felt a pulse of shock. Ivy had a sibling? And Duskpaw hadn't already known?

Ivy dragged her tail in a wide motion, and purred. Ferretpaw's mouth was hanging open. Duskpaw felt how Ferretpaw looked.

He wondered why Ivy hadn't told them before. Maybe they weren't as close friends as he thought they were. But that made sense… Duskpaw has only known this cat for some sunrises. And Ivy isn't a completely insocialable cat; she would have some other cats she was closer to than the Shadowclan cats. ...And yet, it hurt his feelings. He took a breath in and shook off the useless emotion. Ivy was telling them now, after all.

Then again… what _did_ Duskpaw know about Ivy? _She came from Bloodclan… and she wants to help us. And she has a brother named Boulder._ It didn't seem like much.

Boulder turned towards Ivy. "Is that all? Do they know anything else?"

 _What else?_ Duskpaw wanted to ask.

"They know I'm from Bloodclan," she told him.

"I think that's obvious," Boulder chuckled.

"There's more?" Ferretpaw gaped.

"…Yes. I think it's about time you know who I truly am. And what specifically I've done," Ivy sighed.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Boulder put in.

Duskpaw was suddenly angry. "You know what? I don't even care. I just want Bloodclan to attack us already," he snarled, and fled the den. He was sick of secrets. He was sick of cats who kept secrets. He was sick of Ivy and Boulder. He was sick of everyone.

He charged to the ever-dark corner of camp. He knew that if he left camp he could be attacked, so he couldn't risk it. But he could at least pout.

Foxpaw was the first to appear.

"I thought you'd gotten over the whole edgy, I-want-to-be-alone thing," she tried to tease, but it only made Duskpaw feel worse. He didn't even know why he felt bad. But he ignored her.

Foxpaw hissed at him. "Come on, I'm only trying to cheer you up."

"I don't need cheering up," Duskpaw meowed in a nice tone, but allowed the aggression to be obvious.

"Well, fine. Just put everyone else in a bad mood too," she growled, and padded away to the exit to camp.

Some time later, it was Ferretpaw's scent that greeted him.

"Do you have some kind of problem?" Ferretpaw sighed.

"I'm just stressed out," Duskpaw replied bluntly.

Ferretpaw's eyes narrowed. "We're all stressed, but no one else is moping about, alone."

Duskpaw, who had been previously facing away from Ferretpaw, now turned himself and met Ferretpaw's eye-line. The tabby tom didn't flinch. Duskpaw wanted nothing more than to claw his face off. But… it was because Ferretpaw was right.

"Yeah, I know," Duskpaw grunted, and stood up.

"Ivy's got a serious past to her. I guess it's not something you have to hear, but at least do what you can for the clan right now," Ferretpaw complained, and start to turn away and trot back to the medicine cat den, not allowing Duskpaw to reply. But he didn't need to reply.

 _Just like you said earlier; try hardest for what you have,_ Duskpaw reminded himself.

He decided he'd go and clean out the elder's den, since Nightmist had still not shown himself from Echostar's den. Duskpaw thought about how many Bloodclan cat throats he'd rip out soon to make himself feel better, and pushed away the realistic risks of possibly losing his friends, or the whole clan, forever in this upcoming battle. And as he passed Ivy's den, he saw she and Boulder pulling themselves outside and stretching. Duskpaw again felt that strange emotional sensation at the sight of the dark gray tom.

 _It's a feeling I know…_ Duskpaw thought to himself as he tried to push away the chills crawling across his body. _Like when Ivy first pinned me, except stronger…_

Duskpaw choked on air as he recognized the emotion.

It was fear.

 _Blizzard_

"We're ready to advance as soon as you are, Blizzard," Talon's deep meow echoed the abandoned two-leg hut.

Blizzard flexed his claws. "Yes, I've seen how strong we're now appearing." Blizzard could almost taste the beauty of the revenge and power he'd soon hold. "But we'll make no moves yet… I have a specific time in mind."

Talons ears flicked in surprise. "Oh? I thought you said as soon as we had the upper paw-"

"But we haven't. Not quite yet. And Boulder will be making his move at this time as well."

"So... you've had this plan for awhile?"

"I always have a plan."

Talon was nodding slowly. The eerie darkness of the hut swirled about, and a gentle breeze brought along the scent of carrion. Blizzard understood how loud the silence was. Silence was more than the usual emptiness others interpreted it as. In silence, Blizzard was strong. It made him grin. He directed his single eye back to Talon.

"Make sure our new friends understand their place amongst Bloodclan," Blizzard reminded himself to tell Talon aloud. Talon sighed.

"What are we supposed to do with them before the battle?" Blizzard's wise and strong associate questioned him.

"Keep some clever eyes on them. We don't want them changing their minds about helping us, yes?"

"Yes Blizzard. I honor you."

"One question. What do they call themselves?"

"They appear to have no name. Just a gang of rogues, fairly unorganized," Talon answered, and started backing out of the hut with a bowed head, into the shadows.

Blizzard narrowed his eyes. Unorganized large groups were dangerous, for they were easily influenced. Blizzard considered himself lucky for finding them.

 _Ivy_

"I should probably go check on Duskpaw." Ivy said, turning towards the den entrance. As much as Duskpaw could annoy her, Ivy felt bad for holding so much from him. It obviously pained him. He had run out of the den close to tears. The kit was arguably more sensitive than even Ferretpaw.

"Ivy, wait." Boulder said, walking in front of her as to block her way. "I just got here. I haven't seen you in many, many moons. Can't we just talk? Let the runt pout, he's out of the way." Boulder said, hoping to convince Ivy not to leave him again.

"Boulder," Ivy said a bit sternly. "That 'runt' and his friend saved my life once. I would have died if they hadn't helped me."

Boulder sat back, a grim look crossing his face. He only let his expression linger for a moment before rising and walking over to Ivy, draping his neck over hers.

Ivy remembered that he used to do this whenever she was upset or scared as a kit, and even as they grew up in Bloodclan. Many, many nights were spent with Ivy telling Boulder her fears and Boulder repeating this same comforting gesture.

 _When you grow up under the rule of a tyrant constantly making threats against you and your family's life, any bit of small comfort from someone is always welcome._

"Of course," Ivy said, her voice so quiet, it was close to a whisper. She had missed him more than anything. "How did you find me?" Ivy asked in the same hushed voice, not wanting to move away from her brother's strength.

Seeming forced, her brother moved away from her and looked her in the eyes before answering.

"When we left each other to go our separate ways, do you remember what you told me?"

Ivy shook her head. To be honest, she didn't remember much of that day. It was one of her worst memories, but even still, she didn't remember much.

"You told me that you would never truly leave me. You told me that if I ever truly needed someone, you would always be here. I promised you that, too." Boulder closed his eyes and sat down again. "Well... I need you now more than ever, and I feel like you need me. I'm tired of living fear from Blizzard. I'm ready to take him down. I won't let any more cats suffer under his reign anymore, not if I can help it. And I know that he's planning to attack Shadowclan. Please, don't ask me how I know. I just do. I'm going to help you and Echostar in any way I can."

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw shook out his fur and continued walking across camp, hoping it'd leave behind his disturbing feelings. He dragged himself into the elder's den with forced cheer.

"Hello there," he greeted them awkwardly. Previously chatting, the elders stopped their meowing and returned the greeting.

"How are you, Fogpath?" Cloudeyes croaked to Duskpaw.

Eagleclaw lashed his tail. "You old fool! That's an apprentice!" Eagleclaw hissed at his confused denmate. Cloudeyes just calmly blinked at him in return.

"Both of you, hush," Breezetail snapped. "Now, what is it you want Duskpaw?"

Duskpaw was relieved that Breezetail at least remembered him. But he didn't feel anything against Cloudeyes' dying memory.

"I wanted to know if you needed your den cleaned out," Duskpaw offered politely.

"Ha, I clean out my own den," Eagleclaw snorted.

Breezetail narrowed her eyes at the grumpy old tom, who was also her former mate. "You can't even reach the drinking pond without help. We'd love for you to clean out the den," she thanked Duskpaw, blinking.

Duskpaw dipped his head and began moving out and replacing their bedding.

The pines towered over Duskpaw. He strode about the marshy ground in search of more dry moss for the elders, and angled his ears around the territory to listen to the sounds of battle practices and marching patrols.

 _Will we_ really _be ready for what's to come?_

Duskpaw's worry was interrupted by a sudden sharp stench that set his fur on end.

"Hi, Duskpaw," a low voice friendly mewed.

Duskpaw turned around quickly with his hackles raised in defense to see Boulder sitting a few tail lengths away.

He stood there like a cornered bird for a moment, but finally found sense. "Hello… Boulder…" He mumbled cautiously.

 _He's come to kill me! Why did I come out in the forest alone at a time like this? How could I have been so frog-brained? How-_

Duskpaw halted his panic at the sight of pain that crossed Boulder's face.

"You're afraid of me…" Boulder whispered sadly.

Duskpaw was shocked. "Y-you don't know that. I fear nothing!" He hissed while calming his body.

Boulder shook his head slowly. "No, it's ok. Almost all of your clanmates do, too."

Duskpaw didn't know what to say.

"B-but it's fine of course! I know you all have good hearts, and I'm excited about aiding you," Boulder purred with forced happiness. "I think they just don't… understand me."

The guilt Duskpaw felt was immense. This cat was Ivy's own littermate, and a friendly soul. But the clan was being so cruel to him passively… and especially Duskpaw himself. And he knew what it was like to be misunderstood. Also, wasn't that behavior what drove Blizzard to insanity in the first place? ShadowClan needed to be better than their past!

Duskpaw lowered his head. "…I'm sorry."

Boulder appeared surprised. "There's nothing to be sorry about. Though, I do think we got off on the wrong paw," he admitted, "but I hope… I will come to know you well. Ivy has already talked so fondly of you."

Hearing that Ivy had talked about him immediately lifted Duskpaw's spirits. "Yeah, I hope I get to know you too." He answered in embarrassment. "Anyways, what are you doing out here alone?"

"Ah, I just needed a breath away from the new environment, see? I do have a specific place to go in mind, but I stopped when I saw you. You are looking for… moss?"

"Um, yes. It's hard to find it dry around here," Duskpaw sighed. "But I've never seen it anywhere else. And bringing back wet moss will earn me scratched-off ears."

Boulder sat in thought for a moment. "How about on that big ash tree Ivy mentioned? Ash is dry but well nourished."

"The Old Ash Tree? I guess… yeah, there might actually be some there!" Duskpaw gasped at having never thought of that before. It'd be a much easier task if he'd started there. "Thank you Boulder, but I need to hurry for the elders. And again… really. Sorry." He dipped his head to the gray tom and charged off for the bedding.

Duskpaw thought terribly and unjustly of this cat previously. He hoped he'd never do that to any cat again.


	11. Chapter 17

The Gathering

 _Twig_

Twig silently made her way out of the alley, her fur matted with blood of another. Practice had been brutal, as was Blizzard. She padded over to a small, clean-looking puddle and waded in it for a bit. No amount of bathing would ever rid her of the blood, and she couldn't stand it just being on her, so she took as long as she needed in the water until the last bit of red was gone. Stepping out, she shook a bit, but didn't try too hard to dry.

Nothing mattered anymore; Twig felt nothing.

Hoping that a bit of solitary exploring would ease her mind and give her something to think about, she slowly made her way over to the ThunderPath. As she was approaching, something dark caught her eye, something...

She froze.

Sitting in front of the ThunderPath, waiting silently, was a cat Twig never thought she'd be able see again.

"B-Boulder!" she shrieked, her fur standing on edge. It couldn't be real.

He stood, taking a few steps toward the panicking she cat. "Twig, dear friend, I've missed you."

It couldn't be happening. It didn't feel real. Twig felt dizzy, stumbling a bit toward the gray tom who, for a second, she almost believed to be Boulder. She settled her fur, calming herself to a dull anger. Who did this tom think he was, pretending to be Boulder? No, this definitely wasn't her friend. Boulder was dead.

She stood there, watching him, but she didn't say a word. She wanted him to make the first move.

So, he did, making his way over to Twig until he stood right in front of her.

"You must not trust me." He looked defeated, sad, and it made Twig's heart twist in her chest. She wanted to believe that it was him, oh she definitely did, but she just couldn't. She'd seen the bodies, she knew what happened. Cats can't just come back from the dead.

"I...I'm sorry," she whispered. If Blizzard saw her now, associating with an outside cat, he'd kill her.

The Boulder-impersonator hung his head. "But, Twig, don't you remember all of those times we played as kits? You, me, Ivy, we were a force to reckon with; we were unstoppable."

He took a step closer, so close now that Twig could see the pain in his eyes. The wind began to pick up, blowing the tom's scent towards her. She paused, sniffing as nonchalantly as she could. There, just barely mixed with his scent, was one Twig was familiar with. So, it was true. She had seen Ivy in ShadowClan. And this cat, he'd been with Ivy. Recently. Twigs whiskers twitched, and she hunched close to the ground.

"You," she whispered, "it really is you." She was shaking, and Boulder quickly raised his tail to her cheek to comfort her.

"Yes," he meowed calmly. "It is me."

For a while, they sat like that; Twig hunched over and shaking and Boulder with his tail to her cheek, comforting her. As Twig calmed, she slowly stood up straight, eye level to her old friend.

"You..." she meowed quietly. "You...why didn't you ever come for me? If you were alive, why did you never come back?" Her voice was rising with every word, white-hot anger making its way into her system. She looked ready to rip his throat out at one wrong move. Pulling his tail away, he took a few steps back.

"Twig, please, be rational. I couldn't come for you; Blizzard wanted me dead. It was too dangerous."

"And it isn't too dangerous now?" she hissed.

"No, not with Blizzard distracted by… training."

"But why? Why would you come? What do you want?"

"I wanted to see you, Twig. I haven't seen you in many moons, and I wanted to make sure you were safe. Especially in times like these, where war is brewing and everyone's on edge."

"How do you know about the war, anyways?" She felt some of her anger ebb away.

"Ivy told me."

The anger came flooding back in an instant. "Oh. Ivy told you. Well, I'm so glad to see her here revealing herself to be 'not dead!'"

"Twig, I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be angry. Please, she didn't come for reasons of safety. She was scared, especially of how you'd react, and she couldn't handle the thought of it. She does miss you, Twig. We both did."

For some reason, Ivy not wanting to see her hurt Twigs feelings. How could she act so kit-like? They had been friends from the beginning! She should have at least been able to stand seeing her friend after however long! Anger and sadness were coursing through Twig, her head so clouded with thoughts like 'didn't she say she'd always be there' and 'why couldn't she just do this one thing' that she didn't realize Boulder was talking to her.

"-and I just hope you haven't lost too much respect for us, Twig. We really do wish things had been different."

She watched him for a while, willing herself to calm down. The evil emotions drained from her heart, replaced by a soothing calm. She looked at her friend, her heart warming a bit. Thinking back on her earlier thoughts, she realized just how harsh she'd been in judging poor Ivy. If it had been the other way around, Twig was sure she'd have felt the same fear at confronting Ivy.

Finally, she spoke.

"I'm sorry for getting angry. I was acting foolishly. Don't worry… I still love the both of you. Please tell her I want to see her. Maybe even stay with you two from sunrise until practice and train like we used to."

A strange emotion flashed in his eyes, but it vanished too quickly for her to see what it was.

"I don't know about that; it could be very dangerous, but I'll definitely tell her. I do hope to see you again, and with Ivy by my side. Now, I must leave. Farewell, Twig." He nuzzled her, and turned to leave.

She watched him cross the Thunder Path, his gray fur blending in to the dark shadows of the forest, before she turned and quickly made her way back to her alleyway. Despite the warm, mystical emotions that came from knowing they were both alive, the guilt and shame that constantly clung to her pelt had not been shed. It never would be, unless she told them the truth. Perhaps they already knew the truth? No…. they couldn't. They never could.

She sighed as she laid down. Practice would be at the next moonhigh, and she needed rest before then.

 _Duskpaw_

"Your spin swipe was actually a bit wobbly, but you didn't do too bad." Foxpaw was telling Silentpaw how the soft, gray she cat could possibly improve, but Duskpaw didn't think Foxpaw understood what she was talking about.

"Oh… oh yes, I see what you're saying," Silentpaw agreed with her and nodded. "I'll be sure to work on that! Thank you!"

Duskpaw snorted at Silentpaw's patience to Foxpaw. He found it not only amusing, but helpful so he didn't have to deal with the feisty orange she cat. Foxpaw was a good cat, but she could be a serious pain in the tail.

"So, are you guys going to the gathering?" Duskpaw asked. The gathering might as well have been heartbeats away. It was sundown, and the gathering started at moonhigh.

Foxpaw shook her head. "I'm assigned to one of those guard things."

"Guard things?" Duskpaw questioned.

"Echostar will explain before we leave, I'm sure," Silentpaw stopped Duskpaw's upcoming flow of interrogating. "And I think Toadleap said I was going."

"And Ferretpaw's going for sure," Foxpaw added.

When Duskpaw'd finished clean out the elders den earlier that day, he finally went to join the group battle session. So the session ended, and the apprentices and some other warriors were returning for camp to prepare for the gathering.

Duskpaw started overhearing a nearby conversation between his clanmates as Silentpaw and Foxpaw continued to chatter.

"…so do you really think BloodClan would attack during a gathering?!" Rosethorn gasped behind Duskpaw.

"They wouldn't dare," Flamepath growled in return.

"BloodClan aren't bound by our peace laws, young one. They are vicious enough to take advantage of us being split apart," Smokefoot insisted to them. They both let out shocked gasps. "Echostar has a plan, don't worry," he reassured them after noticing the negative reaction he'd caused.

Duskpaw wondered if they would attack, too.

"Frog-brain, nettles ahead!"

Foxpaw's howl brought Duskpaw back into the world just in time for him to step on a small bush of nettle thorns.

"Foxdung!" Duskpaw hollered in pain and collapsed like a kit.

"If you plan on doing that when a Bloodclan cat leaps on ya', then I'd suggest staying in camp during the battle," Flamepath sneered at Duskpaw as he, Rosethorn and Smokefoot passed Duskpaw, Foxpaw and Silentpaw.

"Better get to the Medicine Cat Den," Silentpaw purred as Duskpaw huffed out a sigh.

" _Ferretpaw, I fell in nettles again_!" Duskpaw bellowed as he charged into the Medicine Cat Den.

"StarClan forbid, can you not be quiet for a single heartbeat?" Petaldust hissed in the patient-nest. Both medicine cats weren't present, but there she sat.

"Sorry, Petaldust," Duskpaw smirked and dipped his head in apology. "I forgot you were in here!"

"Why am I not surprised to see you in here before the battle's even started?" Ferretpaw's voice appeared behind Duskpaw.

Turning around, Duskpaw saw the tabby with an assortment of herbs at his paws.

"I fell in nettles," Duskpaw chirped.

"Well you _sound_ fine, but I'll check you over," he offered as he padded in the den to put away his items. Duskpaw followed him. "And sorry about the empty den; Brindlestripe and I are collecting as many herbs as we can. We're going to need them," he added gravely.

Duskpaw frowned. "Yeah, well… you're going to the gathering right?" He asked as Ferretpaw sniffed his nettle stings.

"All medicine cats do."

"Are you guessing Bloodclan will attack then?"

Ferretpaw was silent in his thought. "Not in front of the other clans, but it's very possible."

Duskpaw heaved a breath out.

"Nervous?" Ferretpaw joked.

"You're supposed to be… right?" Duskpaw chuckled uneasily.

" _I_ certainly get nervous. But don't worry too much. I think these nettles are the worst you'll get. You managed to land face-first into them."

"Mm, sure. So how have you and Brindlestripe been in terms of BloodClan receiving a 'sign' from StarClan?"

Ferretpaw halted.

"I don't believe they received a sign."

"I don't either. But it still bothers, doesn't it?"

Ferretpaw flinched. "Mostly just a reminder that our ancestors are not giving us much advice at the moment… And Brindlestripe's upset though she doesn't say aloud. She wanted to go to the Moonstone before tonight, but too much has happened," he sighed.

 _And the battle will probably be tonight,_ Duskpaw empathized. The clan would just have trust itself if their ancestors wouldn't show themselves.

Duskpaw angled his ears to the den entrance as he heard Echostar's voice calling across camp.

"We'd better go," Ferretpaw summed up. Duskpaw nodded.

The two of them started galloping out.

"Wait for me!" Petaldust gasped in frustration, pulling herself up and after them.

The camp was almost full besides the few cats patrolling, and Ivy and Boulder.

"Watch this Fennelkit, I'm a warrior!" Oatkit charged straight through the crowd of cats. Fennelkit followed behind to sit next to the much larger cats and her brother, with their mother sighing and following close behind them. Duskpaw suddenly noticed… Fennelkit had six toes on one paw!

 _How random._ He smiled to himself at the kits' innocence.

"Silence," Echostar calmed the chattering clan. "I'm aware you're all nervous about tonight's gathering… but we are completely prepared for anything that will happen," Echostar addressed all the cats. "Darkleaf will explain who will be going, and what plans we gave for those of us who are staying."

"Will the other clans be suspicious of our small numbers due to the many cats staying at camp?" Eagleclaw asked from near the elder's den. "If it were leaf-bare it may make more sense… but it's the middle of Greenleaf. What will our excuse be?"

Echostar dipped her head to the wise elder. "We will need no excuse. The clans may carry their small suspicions for now, and hopefully this will be over before they come up with any theories." She motioned for Darkleaf to take her place on the Branch, and she leapt for her den. Darkleaf perched himself where she previously stood.

"Those going to the gathering: Fogpath, Brindlestripe, Nightmist, Ferngaze, Toadleap, Rosethorn, Breezetail, Duskpaw, Ferretpaw, and Silentpaw. Everyone else will stay at camp and listen to a border patrol and emergency attack plan. We'll have you set up in marked positions on the borders, and in-between you will be cats that run for help if you border-sitters scent a thing. Gathering cats get together and get ready. Patrol cats come to me for specific instructions. That is all," Darkleaf dismissed them with a wave of his tail.

Duskpaw saw Ivy enter camp with Boulder.

She ran up to Darkleaf before anyone else could. "Where's Echostar?"

"In her den," Darkleaf grunted in reply.

Ivy and Boulder nodded, and sprinted into the leader's den.

"Duskpaw! Are you ready?" Nightmist called from the den entrance.

"Coming!" He answered, stumbling over with the other cats that were going to the gathering. Echostar soon appeared.

"We'll leave as soon as Darkleaf's ready. StarClan knows I'd leave him here if it wouldn't confuse the other clans," Echostar said to the group of cats, but it seemed more to herself.

At least, Darkleaf appeared. He gave Echostar a curt nod. Echostar returned it and faced the part of the clan that was staying.

"Smokefoot is in charge," she ordered, and looked at him. He bowed his head.

Duskpaw waved his tail at Ivy, Boulder, and Foxpaw. Foxpaw returned him a smile, Boulder waved his tail as well, and Ivy dipped her head. He wished them the best. He also caught Echostar and Ivy making eye-contact, as if transferring mental information. He envied the relationship between the rogue and his leader.

"ShadowClan, we're off!" Echostar announced in her loud voice. The clan rushed into the dark, marshy pines towards the Thunderpath, and off to the Fourtrees.

The clearing was already full of cats with conflicting smells as ShadowClan appeared there. Duskpaw wrinkled his nose to the stench and released a small sigh of worry. He'd been to two other gatherings before, but he was nervous and cautious about what would happen in this one.

Silentpaw and Ferretpaw walked beside him as the clan began to scatter among the many cats.

"I've got to go with Brindlestripe," Ferretpaw told them. "Go act casual with other apprentices," he ordered while nodding his head to a group of cats. He ran off before they could respond.

Duskpaw looked at Silentpaw. She shrugged in response to his look and started padding towards the group Ferretpaw motioned to. Duskpaw saw now that they looked about his own age, and they were sharing stories. There was about a pawful of them, and they all faced a single RiverClan story-teller.

"…and so the fox _thought_ it was sneaking up behind me. But I knew it was there. And I was waiting for it. So right when it was the perfect distance to where my claws could reach… _slash_!" A RiverClan apprentice was dramatizing as they approached.

"Foxdung, Leechpaw! You couldn't have hit the red beast if it stuck its throat out and begged for you to," a WindClan apprentice sneered to the story-teller, 'Leechpaw'.

"Gorgepaw! Watch your language!" Hissed a ThunderClan she cat.

'Gorgepaw' ignored the she cat and the other apprentices gasped as the now-angry Leechpaw shoved his muzzle in Gorgepaw's face.

"This seems a bit over-dramatic…" Silentpaw whispered amusingly into Duskpaw's ear. Duskpaw smiled and mentally agreed, but it was fun to watch the show.

"How 'bout I _show_ you how far my claws can reach, rabbit breath?" Leechpaw challenged Gorgepaw.

Gorgepaw unsheathed his claws. "I'd like to see you try!" He cheered.

The apprentices made a circle around the two and shouted them on, except for Duskpaw and Silentpaw. They started backing away as the two toms raised their hackles.

"Let's go faster," Duskpaw suggested. Silentpaw flicked her ears. They ran off for the base of the Fourtrees, hearing a frustrated warrior starting to scorn the two apprentices that had caused trouble.

"That was anticlimactic," Silentpaw purred in amusement.

"It's a shame that cat stopped them. I thought they were both too big for their paws. Seeing them shred each other would have been satisfying," Duskpaw chortled.

Silentpaw twitched her whiskers, but then grew serious. "I hope nothing's happened back at camp," she sighed.

Duskpaw flattened his ears. "Let's just pray they'll get the message to us if anything happens," he whispered.

"Apprentices. The meeting's starting," a ThunderClan warrior warned them.

They turned their attention to the large rock that sat underneath the Fourtrees; it was the spot where the leaders and deputies sat and shared the news of the past moon.

Brackenstar sat the lowest of the leaders on the rock. He was the youngest clan leader. He led WindClan and had dark ginger fur that didn't stick up in a single spot. He had a large body for a cat from that clan; all the same, he was only about Duskpaw's size. His eyes were kind though, and he'd been patient to the other clans, or at least that Duskpaw had seen. Lichenears was his deputy. She was a pretty she cat with a lithe body and dusty-gray fur; a more common style of WindClan cat. Duskpaw heard rumors that she and Brackenstar were past mates, split apart and then brought back together not for kits, but for power. These were only rumors though. The WindClan medicine cat was Basilfur. He was small, a pale gray tabby, and had a rough look to him. But he never said anything outrageous. In fact, he never said anything at all it seemed, despite the wisdom he most likely carried.

Flaxstar was the next lowest next to Brackenstar. He was the RiverClan leader and was not a young cat. Previously in his time of leadership, he'd unjustly attacked ThunderClan, so it'd earned him that low spot on the rock. He was huge, and had a thick coat of fur that was such a pale shade of gray, he almost looked like a white cat that hadn't cleaned his pelt in moons. He carried a constant displeased look on his face. However, he had a bouncy young deputy by the name of Emberblaze, whose orange tabby pelt reflected his name. Duskpaw found it ironic that this flame-named cat came from a clan that circulated around water. But he wouldn't question it aloud.

RiverClan's medicine cat was Gojistem. She was an old calico with a friendly purr. She'd given Duskpaw some honey at his first gathering, which calmed his anxiety to the new environment, so he made sure to give her proper respect ever since. She also had an apprentice; the only other one besides Ferretpaw, although he was a fully trained medicine cat, by the name of Owlgaze. He was pretty bold as far as medicine cat toms go, but still a peace seeker. He had big amber eyes and a simple cream colored pelt.

ThunderClan was represented by Sagestar. She was a small, dark gray tabby with glowing green eyes. Duskpaw hadn't heard much of her strength, but she looked clever. She was sitting second highest. Her deputy was her opposite; a large muscular white tom, named Snowbreeze. By what the seniors described, he was how Duskpaw pictured Blizzard would look, but with shorter fur and a kinder face. Poppyheart was their medicine cat; Duskpaw was pretty sure he'd heard she was Snowbreeze's sister, and she looked it, too. She was as white as he was.

At the top of the rock sat Echostar. Duskpaw wasn't sure when she claimed the highest point as her own, and he wasn't sure how long it would last, but it made ShadowClan appear a bit superior. For now, that was enough. Duskpaw spotted Darkleaf sitting next to the other deputies.

"Let the gathering of the Clans begin!" Echostar threw her voice all around the clearing. The excited talking that had silenced to idle chatter at the sight of the clan leaders preparing now completely stopped.

"I will begin," Echostar offered. "ShadowClan has been hunting well, and-"

"-Keeping a tight watch on their borders," Lichenears interrupted and finished rudely for Echostar.

Duskpaw felt his throat squeeze. So the other clans _have_ noticed their behavior. Silentpaw stiffened next to him.

"The mouse brain... trying to stir up trouble…" Silentpaw meowed, barely audible.

The other members of his clan were all making uncomfortable movements aswell.

Echostar narrowed her eyes at Lichenears. "It is disrespectful to disrupt a clan leader," she hissed, turning her gaze to Brackenstar. He blinked apologetically.

"Forgive us. But your behavior has been putting some of my cats on edge," he responded cautiously.

Duskpaw's fur began to rise. Brackenstar must have asked Lichenears to confront Echostar to make himself look peaceful. That was clever, but it brought up unnecessary trouble. Then again… if Duskpaw was the leader of a clan, and his bordering clan was being skittish and keeping a firm watch on the borders, he'd confront them too for the safety of his clan.

"I understand that. But I believe it would be best for me to talk for myself," Echostar replied curtly to Brackenstar. "We've been finding some odd scents on our territory. We suspect it is no clan, but that doesn't mean it's something to ignore."

Brackenstar dipped his head. The other leaders were also nodding in thought.

"That is all we have to say," Echostar concluded, stepping back.

Sagestar stepped forward to begin sharing news of ThunderClan, but Duskpaw ceased to pay attention. Instead, he angled his ears towards the direction of ShadowClan territory. Could something have happened? Could BloodClan have attacked and somehow caught the messengers before they made it to the gathering for help?

 _Oh StarClan, your hiding has left an eerie fear shadowing the hearts of the warriors of my clan._

"Duskpaw, you're shivering," Silentpaw whispered, jabbing a paw into his side.

He took a quick breath in and shook out his fur. "Thanks," he whispered back.

"Don't think about camp," she told him as if she'd read his thoughts.

He didn't respond and brought his attention back to the leaders. Flaxstar was stepping forward.

"You missed Sagestar and Brackenstar. He's the last one. We're almost through this," Nightmist's voice appeared out of nowhere, making Duskpaw and Silentpaw jump.

"I didn't know you were watching us, or near us," Duskpaw hissed a whisper to his mentor.

"I'm always watching," he whispered back through a purr. "Now listen."

Flaxstar had the same twisted expression that he always wore. Not that Duskpaw expected anything different. The enormous tom strutted forward on the rock.

"RiverClan has been receiving plenty of fish from the river. StarClan has blessed us this Greenleaf, as you can see by our large numbers," Flaxstar calmly stated, and fixed his gaze on Echostar.

A very quiet growl rumbled in Nightmist's throat.

"That was a purposeful insult to us," Silentpaw whispered the obvious.

"StarClan, let our warriors keep their traps shut," Nightmist prayed quietly.

Echostar held the gaze with Flaxstar. No ShadowClan cat spoke or moved. Duskpaw felt victory from his clan's level-headedness.

Flaxstar scowled, and gave up the intimidation. "Gathering dismissed."

Duskpaw released a heavy sigh of relief. "That could have been worse," he meowed, standing up and stretching.

"Keep your voice down Duskpaw, we're still surrounded," Nightmist warned.

The cats around him were already moving, though. Most of them were ShadowClan with him, but there were a couple from other clans. ShadowClan all hovered towards Echostar. Duskpaw, Silentpaw, and Nightmist joined them.

"Well done, all of you," she breathed. "Now let's make sure the rest of our clan is safe."

"ShadowClan, move out," Darkleaf announced. The clan moved towards their territory almost as one being.

"What did you like best about the gathering?" Silentpaw casually asked Duskpaw.

"That's a hard question," he answered evasively, and Ferretpaw dashed over to join them.

"I can't believe no one snapped," Ferretpaw panted. Fear flashed in his eyes. "What do you think camp will be like?"

Duskpaw felt his stomach twist with worry and didn't respond. Silentpaw stared at the ground. Ferretpaw's gazed traveled around as far as his head could turn, and then he too stared at the ground.

"Nothing?" Echostar asked exasperatingly. "But we've been so prepared!"

Smokefoot shook his head and sighed. "Not a scent, sight, or sound."

"I warned you Blizzard wouldn't attack when expected. Even if it was to his advantage," Boulder stepped in the conversation. "He likes to think he's clever."

This conversation was in front of Echostar's den and between Darkleaf, Smokefoot, Boulder, Ivy, and Echostar herself and right after the gathering. Duskpaw listened from a farther range.

"Then when _will_ the foxheart attack?" Darkleaf growled, asking Ivy and Boulder. Ivy looked down at her paws. Boulder shrugged.

Duskpaw laughed mentally to himself as he saw Darkleaf's jaw tighten, but brought himself to his senses as he remembered how important this was.

"Don't look at us that way, we can't read his mind!" Ivy exclaimed. "We just need to continue what we're doing now. Watching."

"But how long will we be able to keep this up?" Smokefoot complained. "Cats are starting to lose spirits! I'm not sure if more time will prepare us more or less…"

Duskpaw stopped listening. He didn't want to have to worry more. He looked up at the full moon; it made him feel sick as he looked at the stars that circled it. Silverpelt was just as bright as it would be any night, and yet StarClan hadn't been heard from since all of this started.

"I don't know much about clans, but aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" A voice crushed Duskpaw's thoughts. He brought his head down from looking at the sky to see Boulder, his tail flicking friendlily.

"Sleep yourself," Duskpaw scoffed.

"I'd love to. But I think Ivy needs me up," he responded, tipping his head in her direction; she was still in the group conversation. Duskpaw had been doing his best to avoid her since sunrise.

"Whatever," Duskpaw sighed.

"…And maybe you need someone to talk to?"

"I'm fine."

"Yes, it's fine to be scared."

"I'm not scared!"

"But I wasn't being sarcastic about what I said," Boulder defended himself. "Being scared is natural. Fear is what keeps us witty, yes?"

"No."

"Yes."

"No." Boulder's fear logic was annoying Duskpaw.

"C'mon Duskpaw, trust a cat whose been through the worst," Boulder reasoned. "I've seen cats torn to pieces. And… think of what it'd be like if we _weren't_ scared. We'd be running alone into the jaws of a badger."

"So, does that make me running into the jaws of a badger?"

"No, it makes you smart. Because I know you're afraid."

"You… are confusing," Duskpaw closed his eyes and sighed. "Everyone else is telling me _not_ to be afraid, and you're telling me the total opposite."

Boulder thought for a moment. "I think what they're saying is that you can't let fear completely control you. Which is very true. But at the same time, you don't want to be fearless, because then you'd be stupid."

Duskpaw opened his eyes and considered this. "I guess I understand."

"Do you admit you're afraid?"

"…Yes."

"And that's absolutely fine. Just control it. Let it make you wise. You know, I'm afraid too."

"I know. You're the one that's been telling me to be afraid," Duskpaw mumbled, moving his tail about anxiously.

Boulder stared sympathetically at him. "You're a lonely one, aren't you?"

Duskpaw stiffened. "Where'd you get that from?"

"Just the way you talk. Have any parents?"

"No."

"Any siblings?"

"No," Duskpaw's voice cracked.

Boulder flicked his ears in surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I'm fine."

"Do you use that phrase often?"

"I don't talk that much," Duskpaw hissed. Boulder was starting to frustrate him.

"I'm sorry, again," Boulder stared at his paws. "I don't exactly understand, I suppose. I've always had Ivy at least and… I've always been pretty good at making friends."

"Thank you for reminding me how perilously separated I am from all the other cats in existence."

"Oh I didn't mean it like that! No, not at all. I was about to point out that you… have a very strong relationship with those other apprentices to make up for it. Sometimes cats go about being alone forever, but you've stepped up. That's very hard for someone who's adapted to being independent. You're impressive."

Duskpaw looked Boulder in the eye. He had the same friendly twinkle as always. And at the same time, though he claimed to not understand, it was like he knew every little detail about Duskpaw.

Duskpaw shifted his paws. "Thank you. Really."

"It's nothing. I hope you get to feeling better," Boulder meowed sincerely. "I also hope you'll talk to me again."

Duskpaw purred. "I hope so too."

He blinked Boulder farewell and went to lie down in the apprentice's den. He collapsed onto his nest next to Silentpaw and Foxpaw.

"Took you long enough," Foxpaw yawned. She pulled her head up and flicked her tail as a goodnight, and went back to sleep. Duskpaw returned the flick. Then he laid his down head on his paws and let sleep take him.

 _Brindlestripe_

Brindlestripe jumped awake, shivering from another nightmare. Her heaving breathing caused her apprentice, Ferretpaw, to awaken aswell.

"Brindlestripe?" He asked with a concerned look upon his face.

She shook her head, trying to dismiss his worry. _One so young does not need this stress._

He flicked his ears and shakily stood up. Brindlestripe could see he was trying to hide what he felt for her sake. It made Brindlestripe feel selfish.

"Well… more marigold won't hurt. We've been getting it for the past few sunrises, but the battle still hasn't happened," she told Ferretpaw. He did nothing but nod, and slowly pad out of the den.

Brindlestripe's heart hurt. _How dare those BloodClan beasts put our next generation through this. They might as well be kits._

This was unacceptable. Brindlestripe had made her decision now. She charged out of the den. She almost tripped over Ferretpaw, who had not even made it out of camp yet.

"W-what are you doing?" He called as she pulled herself up.

"I'm going to the Moonstone!"

Horror filled his face. "But I-I… I need you!"

"You must understand, dear… you'll be fine. But I must do this."

And at that, she bolted out of camp and towards WindClan territory and to the Highstones.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw awoke to Ferretpaw's voice sounding across camp.

"What's he moaning about now?" Foxpaw hissed, rolling over.

"Oh no, maybe something's happened concerning the battle at last!" Silentpaw gasped.

"Outside!" Duskpaw ordered, and they all three leapt up and into camp. Ferretpaw stood near the camp entrance, a stunned look on his face.

They galloped to him.

"Ferretpaw?" Silentpaw tried to get his attention quietly. He looked at her.

"B-Brindlestripe!" He choked out.

Duskpaw prepared to ask the next obvious question, but a new cat appeared and beat him to it.

"What's happened to Brindlestripe?" It was Ivy. Duskpaw wouldn't look her in the eye. Boulder trotted up behind her.

"What's going on?" Boulder exclaimed.

"We're trying to find out," Foxpaw growled at him. Then she got a good look at Boulder, and Duskpaw caught her fur rising slightly. Boulder bravely ignored her.

"Brindlestripe's left us! W-wait I'm sorry… It's not that bad… she's just… gone to the Moonstone. By herself," Ferretpaw rambled.

"At a time like this?" Ivy gaped. "Those cats don't even exist!"

"Hang on Ivy, we might not fully understand the significance of where this cat's headed," Boulder pointed out.

"Well, they don't seem to like it, either," Ivy used her tail to motion to Duskpaw and the other apprentices.

"And I don't see how you're one to try and reason!" Foxpaw hollered at Boulder. "You… you have fresh BloodClan scent all over you!"

Duskpaw's heart skipped a beat. He could see the shock of his own face reflected on Silentpaw and Ferretpaw. Boulder seemed alarmed by their sudden fear. Ivy's face was expressionless.

"… How recently have you visited BloodClan?" Duskpaw asked him.

"Last night," Boulder gave an honest answer.

"All of you! You musn't assume things!" Ivy looked like her feelings were hurt by the apprentices concern for what Boulder has done.

"Listen," she continued, "Boulder has been visiting BloodClan every night… for longer than he's been here. He's been collaborating with Blizzard."

Duskpaw felt his mind collapse.

Boulder nodded slowly. "We haven't told any cats other than your leader and deputy to make sure no one would be too afraid… But I promise you I'm doing this for _your_ cause. For all of our cause, really. Blizzard thinks I'm here undercover for him, when quite frankly, the truth of the situation is the other way around."

"So… you're getting us information from that evil BloodClan leader?" Ferretpaw asked quietly.

"Yes. He is," Ivy answered for Boulder. He gave her a playful shove for stealing his line.

"But at what cost?" Silentpaw challenged.

"Nothing that concerns any of you. See, Blizzard just thinks he has control of me. Like I can't do anything as long as I'm under his watch. Or so he guesses," Boulder smiled to himself.

"…That's very noble of you," Foxpaw mewed apologetically.

Boulder shrugged.

"Well then," Ivy breathed, "let's not sit around waiting for the grass to grow. Boulder still hasn't been told by Blizzard when the attack will be unfortunately, so we still need to be on our toes.

"I'll go ask if we can join a patrol," Silentpaw offered, and padded off to where warriors were starting to awaken and gather.

Boulder looked at the sun, and then back at Ivy. "Hey, let's go walking." He told her.

"Okay," she sighed, following her brother out of camp.

"C'mon Duskpaw," Foxpaw called, "it looks like Silentpaw's got us a patrol. Ferretpaw, you go get your herbs and such."

Ferretpaw flinched and nodded, walking out of camp. Foxpaw and Duskpaw went over to Silentpaw and the other warriors waiting for a patrol.

It took them long enough to finally leave. But right when Toadleap, Silentpaw, Foxpaw, and Duskpaw took one pawstep out of camp, Boulder almost crashed into them. _Back so soon?_

He looked dazed. "Um… um…"

"Watch where you're going," hissed Toadleap.

"I-I think I saw… a BloodClan warrior though! Yes!" Boulder tried to move around them but Toadleap blocked his way.

"This is urgent! Go tell Echostar right now, and we'll begin investigating. Which direction?" Toadleap pushed him for answers.

"Sunrise direction from the two-leg place! Yes, I'll go tell your leader and…" Boulder anxiously shuffled into camp, and Duskpaw and his patrol took off.

 _Twig_

Twig padded silently into the alleyway deemed the training area, her paws gliding smoothly over the cold stone beneath them. She knew what was coming, and so did the others.

Tomorrow, at sunhigh, the battle would begin.

She sensed a small change in the atmosphere, small enough not to matter, but it made her uncomfortable. Lifting her head, she saw a white mess of fur approaching her. Quickly, she ducked her head, meowing a quiet "I honor you, Blizzard" and waiting for his commands. She would always arrive early to training, and he would always tell her tactics and easy ways to make her opponent of the day suffer. She never tried those.

As he reached her, he plopped down, making her taller than him and at the advantage. She averted her eyes, not willing to break the unspoken code even now. No one dared look Blizzard in the face; if you did, he'd kill you instantly. Or, that's what younger warriors whispered about on uneventful nights.

"So, Twig," he purred. "I've got something new for you to try. Tonight, you'll be fighting one of our...older...warriors. I've told him to fight as best he can. Show me your best is better." He glanced up at her, but she stood stone still, staring at the ground. He took this as a sign to continue.

"Now, what I want you to do is to give him the advantage. Let him think you're weak. When he seems too confident, kill him. That's all." He watched her closely, waiting for some sort of reaction, but she gave him none but a curt nod and a "yes, Blizzard." This seemed to satisfy him, as he stood up, stretching a bit, and began to walk down to his usual spot.

Twig slowly made her way over to her vantage point, but before she'd gotten half-way there, Blizzard was upon her.

She felt tooth and claw pierce her skin, and she screeched, whipping herself around too quickly. She felt blood oozing from her wounds, and before she could react, she was bombarded with more attacks. A quick blow to the skull sent her reeling, and she fell backwards. She tried to regain her ability and knowledge to fight, but it was taking too long for her to make a move; every blow she attempted was met by one from Blizzard. He was trying to kill her, and it was as simple as that.

In some sort of blind luck, Twig was able to make her move, jumping on to Blizzards back and digging her claws in. She did just as he'd shown her before, rolling herself in just the right way, ripping his flesh and earning a small cry. Of course, since he taught her the move, he knew exactly how to counteract it, flinger her off of him and into the wall. She felt paralyzed, unable to even lift her head.

With the massive white cat standing over her, blood pooling around them both, she knew it had to be over. He raised his paw, claws glinting in the small bit of sun left lingering in the sky. He brought it down on her, but not where he'd expected. Instead of her face, he'd caught her side.

She sprinted away, a sudden surge of adrenaline giving her the good sense to get out of there. She couldn't feel the blood flowing from her wounds, she couldn't feel the cracked bones, the only thing she felt was panic.

Something about the fight was off, and it scared Twig. She couldn't figure it out; she didn't even know why he'd done what he did. She could hear the scratch of claws against stone behind her, and she sped up.

"You traitor, you filthy traitor! I'll kill you all!" she heard Blizzard screaming behind her.

He didn't sound right. He sounded angry, disgusted, and... hurt.

Not just hurt, more like he was in agony.

Maybe she actually did do some good damage to him.

But, as she ran, she remembered the meeting beforehand, how they'd talked. It was all normal, wasn't it? Twig had thought everything had been the same, but the more she thought about it, the more the signs began to stand out to her. He told her she'd fight a senior warrior, and she did. He'd made her appear bigger; he'd given her an advantage. That's how he'd told her to fight, give him the advantage and then steal it, kill him when he seemed too confident. Why would he fight her? What had she done? She followed all of his orders, she'd not been disruptive or a trouble maker. It didn't make sense.

She couldn't figure it out, her mind was beginning to fog, and her body was beginning to slow. Every step she took sent pains through her body.

Suddenly, the effects of the fight were bombarding her, and she felt dizzy. She didn't remember when she'd made it to the forest, but it seemed like every tree root and small rocks were trying their hardest to trip her. She stumbled about, doing as best she could manage in unfamiliar territory with her wounds. And to top it all off, it was nearly moonhigh, and she was freezing. She tried to move around a bit more, then thought better of it when she looked back the way she came and saw just how badly she'd been bleeding.

"I...need help." she mewed silently to herself. She wished she'd had Patch and Scratch with her just then. Then again, what could they have done for her?

No, she wanted Ivy. She wanted Boulder. She wanted them by her side. She knew they'd have known how to fix her. Yes, she'd find Ivy and Boulder and they'd fix her right up, and the three of them could run the drill again and this time Twig wouldn't slip on the puddle and hit her head. Oh no, she'd be more careful this time.

Twig felt cold. Stiff and cold. Her fur was matted with hard, dried blood, her body feeling sensitive and tired. She slowly lifted her head, which had been resting on a root. When had she fallen asleep? She couldn't remember, but the sun was already beginning to peak through the trees.

She began to force herself into a sitting position, but stopped, yowling when the slash on her side began to pulse with pain.

"Please, be quiet. You're so close to your destination, you must push on."

Twig jumped at the voice, and her side began pulsing again. She didn't make too much noise though. She recognized the voice.

"F...Fang. You..." It was the cat she'd killed in battle practice.

"I've come to help you, young warrior."

Twig looked to see Fang sitting there beside her, deep cuts etched into her skin. Something looked off, something Twig couldn't pinpoint, but this cat was definitely no threat to Twig, so she didn't try too hard to figure it out.

"How...how d'you get here?" Twig asked, her words somewhat slurred.

"You'd be surprised. Now, it's time to go. You must try to stand."

Twig did as she was told, forcing herself onto all fours.

"Now, follow me." Fang began to walk, slowly at first so Twig could adjust to a slow pace again, then speeding up to a light run. As they went on, Twig began to notice the area around them changing. The sun was reaching its peak, and the light made the trees and leaves around them seem beautiful.

But, again, she noticed something strange going on with Fang. She seemed almost...translucent.

Fang stopped running, turning to face her.

Bowing her head, she meowed, "I honor you, Twig."

And then, she was gone.

All of Twig's energy suddenly evaporated, and once again, she found herself lying on the ground in agony. She hoped this would all pass soon.


	12. Chapter 18

Deception

 _Ferretpaw_

Ferretpaw shakily picked marigold from the patch of it that he usually came to. It laid on the side of the territory where the twoleg place was, but it was still rather far from it. Plus, he needed this marigold. And there wasn't much left since he'd been picking it every day. Every day. How long would they have to wait for this battle?

 _And now Brindlestripe's gone off for StarClan knows how long. Will there ever be peace?_

Ferretpaw was aware of how young and nervous he was. But on the inside, he felt moons older than the dullest star in the sky. Was it fair to put him through such feats while he still had so much to learn?

Whatever Ferretpaw felt he knew that he must keep his faith. Because if he didn't have that, then he didn't have anything. He sighed and halted his herb gathering. He looked up at the sky. It was nearing sunhigh, so Silverpelt was nowhere near out. But Ferretpaw just didn't understand. How could StarClan ignore them we they needed them most?

…He would just have to be patient for the reason to reveal itself.

But then he heard something. It wasn't too far away either. Ferretpaw shifted his gaze from the sky to around the territory. He started to mentally panic a bit, but calmed himself and focused his senses.

 _This could be the invasion at last. And catching it before it starts could be the thing that saves my clan._

At last, Ferretpaw caught a stench floating around the air. He wrinkled his nose. It… it had to be BloodClan. And the scent was laced with blood. Ferretpaw felt his breathing quicken and his chest squeeze, but he forced himself in the direction of the horrid smell and for whatever StarClan had planned for him… Oh, he was sure death was calling him….

He shoved through the undergrowth and around a pine tree to see a torn-up she cat, lying on the ground possibly unconscious. Or worse. Her wounds made him gasp aloud. They were awful, like Nettleheart's...

He closed his eyes and opened them again and reminded himself why he existed. He was a medicine cat. He leapt to the she cat's side and examined her. He recoiled momentarily at her scent, but then looked closer at her.

She was about his own size. Maybe around Ivy's age? She looked slightly like Ivy too, but with shorter and lighter brown fur, though it may have only looked lighter because of all the blood that rested on her pelt. Ferretpaw suddenly realized he didn't even know if she was breathing, so he placed a paw on her chest. He felt life. She was alive, at least for now. Though her breathing was shallow. She'd definitely lost a lot of blood, and could still be losing some now. He needed to stop the bleeding immediately and get her back to camp. He shivered as he remembered he would be alone.

But then again, should he even help this cat? It was obviously BloodClan. …And it could even be a trap somehow!

 _No._ Even if she was an evil cat, he knew he had to help her. Because that's what medicine cats do… Ferretpaw was almost sure of this.

He felt a gaze burning into his fur, and it made it stand on end. He looked down at the she cats face. She was looking at him. She was awake. Sh-she could kill him-

Ferretpaw was having trouble finding logic at the moment. This cat hadn't lifted its head, and appeared to be incapable of moving. But could she speak?

"I-I-" Ferretpaw tried to say something to her, but couldn't get words out. She continued to stare at him, her eyes unreadable. So he started forcing his mind out of his panic temper, and back to his patient one. What was he thinking before? Stop the bleeding.

He dashed to the closest pine tree and stared up along its branches. He needed cobwebs… there! On one of the limbs sat what he needed. It wasn't too high either.

Pushing with his hind legs as hard as he could, Ferretpaw met the tree trunk with his claws and pulled himself higher until he was where he needed to be. He ripped the cobweb off the limb, and awkwardly slid back down the tree.

Gasping, he jumped back to the she cat and patched up her wounds. She really needed that marigold, but it would rub off if he applied it before she was safe in camp. So he'd have to take her like this. Her eyes still remained locked on him, and she still wouldn't utter a mew. Ferretpaw took a calming breath in.

"Hello. My name is Ferretpaw of ShadowClan," he introduced himself politely to the possibly evil cat, and his words spaced themselves out oddly. "You're not in good condition, and I'm going to take you back to my camp to halt the bleeding and p-possible infection," his voice jumped a bit, but he stayed relaxed.

The cat spoke nothing still and showed no signs that she understood him. But she laid her head down and closed her eyes again.

Ferretpaw went behind her and scooped her up by the scruff of her neck while holding his breath to blot out her scent. She was heavier than expected, and it made him fumble about, but he was determined to get this cat back to camp. The Greenleaf sun provided no extra comfort. As the sun approached sunhigh, it seemed to scorch the land beneath it.

 _Blizzard_

Blizzard threw himself against his hut's wall and pulled his claws against the harsh stone, screaming his rage as he did so.

Was his whole clan turning against him? What could he have done to deserve the betrayal of everything he'd ever worked for?

 _Oh look, this seems familiar. THIS SEEMS VERY FAMILIAR._

No one understood Blizzard. Whenever he put his faith in someone or something, it always seemed to turned against him. No, it didn't seem. It _did_ turn against him.

And he hurt more this time. He hurt more from this betrayal than from his whole clan laughing and shunning his brilliance, his own father stealing his eye, or the constant nightmares he had about the day he did the only thing he ever regretted.

But she got away.

 _I couldn't even give her the proper farewell. There was some invisible force literally pulling me back! It felt like a cat, but…_

"I thought you were on my side," Blizzard appeared to say to nothing.

But out of thin air in response to his statement, four translucent cats appeared that had stars that danced in their fur.

"It was no one of Starclan," Crevicestar, a large, long-furred silver tabby tom growled.

"Or of the Dark Forest," Leafwhisker, a golden tabby she cat informed; she was one of the few who dared venture there.

"And we're definitely on your side, Blizzard," Dustshade, a skinny black tom, promised. "Just as we swore many sunrises ago."

"We've even managed to convince many other Starclan cats to side with you," Rainpelt, a slender tortishell she cat put in.

Blizzard bared his teeth at the useless dead cats. "But what can they do?"

"Like we've told you before," Leafwhisker patiently explained. "We cannot do anything to the Shadowclan cats with so many Starclan cats still sided with them. We managed to break past the other Starclan members for enough time to distract Nettleheart enough for you to kill him though, remember? Isn't that good?"

"I know what you did. But that wasn't the help I needed; I could have done that myself," Blizzard hissed. "In fact, there was only one cat I needed and you failed to recognize that. And I don't want you to lay a paw on her. I plan on doing that myself," he imagined himself biting so hard into her neck that it snapped the bone. "She can't hide forever. And neither can those siblings that started all of this.

"Well. If you were wondering, Boulder was doing what you wanted," Crevicestar grumbled.

"This is your chance!" Blizzard was suddenly excited. "You can do something useful and kill him while he's weak!"

All four StarClan cats didn't respond.

"Well? Are you just going to sit there like cornered rats, or actually do something?!"

"…A dark force resides behind Boulder, and we cannot get past it," Dustshade droned.

Blizzard felt the blood pulse to his paws. It was a welcoming rage. He used it for strength. "You-"

"Blizzard!" A new voice interrupted. Blizzard turned naturally to face it. "It's nearly sunhigh! We've got to move out as planned." It was Talon.

Blizzard stared at him for a few heartbeats. Then he turned back to where the deceased cats were sitting.

…They'd disappeared.

 _Cowards._

"Prepare the battle lines. We charge as soon as I'm standing in front of all the cats," Blizzard growled.

At last, he would get his revenge. He could not lose.

The cats reappeared as Blizzard left.

Leafwhisker was shaking her head slowly. "It is sad that we have to put our faith in such a monster."

"It's for the best. We have to believe we're doing the right thing," Crevicestar rumbled. Dustshade just stared at the ground. But Rainpelt nodded.

"It's necessary to stop Ivy," Rainpelt commended.

 _Brindlestripe_

Brindlestripe could see the Thunderpath in the distance. It was her last major obstacle for getting to the Moonstone. She urged adrenaline to keep her moving at a fast pace.

"Brindlestripe you fool!"

Paws came out of nowhere, and Brindlestripe gasped as she felt herself become pinned to the ground. She rolled herself over, preparing for a fight but-

"Redscar!" She couldn't believe her eyes.

Redscar's fur danced with stars. He was an ancient medicine cat of Shadowclan; and one that used to visit her every time she visited the Moonstone.

And he finally chose to show himself just as she was headed to the Moonstone.

"How dare you ignore my clan when we need you so desperately? How _dare_ you!?" Brindlestripe hissed at him. "And you wait until I'm forcing myself away from them to-"

"You must be quiet!" He screeched. His eyes were wild. "Too much has been going on in StarClan for me to explain right now, but you must get back to your clan immediately!" He leapt off of her, and faced the direction of camp. The dismay on his face reflected his plea for her to return.

Brindlestripe stood up and felt dizzy at his random appearance and why he was so frightened. "You must tell me."

"If you run back beside me, I'll tell you everything on the way there," he rambled. "I… I'm so sorry." And he dashed off. Brindlestripe galloped after him. She match her paws with his starry ones, and felt her fatigue disappear.

"It all started when we received a vision," he panted. "Every single StarClan cat saw it. …You see, in the vision…" He closed his eyes. "A rogue was shown gaining control of ShadowClan. And after that, the entire forest. Nothing but destruction and pain followed. It frightened us. And the sunrise after we saw it… Ivy was welcomed into Shadowclan."

"…Redscar-"

"I still have much to say, young one," they ran as he spoke. "So… StarClan warriors were thinking of ways to handle this. We were all blocking each other from entering any cat's dreams for fear of what the other StarClan warrior might say that could mess absolutely everything up. This is what happens when StarClan all receive a prediction," he breathed. "It is usually only given to a few cats. But somehow, we all saw. And it's tearing us apart. We're all so afraid. We all think we know better than the other. And it's unusual. I can't say I've ever heard of StarClan all seeing a vision together either. And I understand why it shouldn't happen now," he shivered. "But there's more. StarClan has made a small group that support… Blizzard. The hellish cat that scarred ShadowClan the way his face is scarred. They're giving him advice and insight because they feel like he's the only cat strong enough to stop Ivy, but a cat that the other clans can stop eventually. Even if it means sacrificing ShadowClan," he was shaking his head. "It's just wrong."

Brindlestripe was afraid her heart would stop. "BloodClan wasn't lying when they claimed to have Starclan on their side…" she gaped. _How could this happen?_

"You must forgive us," Redscar pleaded. "Sometimes StarClan cats can be just as ignorant as living warriors."

Brindlestripe couldn't think straight with this new information. Also she was running. But then a relevant thought appeared.

"Why is it so important that we return to camp now?" She asked her passed friend.

Redscar's breath jumped. "As bizarre as the sign we all received is, it was shown to us for a reason. We've just been ignorant and too quick to conclusions to realize who the real problem is. I'm not sure if anyone else has realized..."

"Who is it, then?"

"Boulder. Ivy's brother."

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw was sure if he stopped running he'd be shivering.

Could it be? The battle at last?

Boulder had just informed them of a rogue sighting in the direction this patrol was headed. Bloodclan thought they'd be clever, but they've been caught!

"P-patrol halt!" Toadleap hollered suddenly. All four cats, Toadleap, Silentpaw, Foxpaw, and Duskpaw, came to a stop that was too quick for it to have looked graceful.

"Why in StarClan's name-" Duskpaw was about to complain, but then the stink hit his nose.

"Ferretpaw!" Foxpaw called.

"Ferretpaw? I didn't know he could smell that bad," Duskpaw hissed. He couldn't get a glimpse of why they'd stopped over the three cats in front of him.

Finally, he moved around them to see, indeed, Ferretpaw. But Ferretpaw was carrying what was most likely emitting the reek.

"Is that… a Bloodclan warrior?" Toadleap exclaimed.

Duskpaw guessed that the question was rhetorical because that was most definitely Bloodclan warrior. But was it even alive? It was beaten to shreds and laid limp in Ferretpaw's jaws. Perhaps Ferretpaw was stronger than anyone could have guessed… no. Of course not. There's only one thing Ferretpaw would be doing with an injured cat.

Ferretpaw flicked his ears in response. He obviously couldn't talk at the moment. Duskpaw went over to him and scooped up the Bloodclan cat to let the medicine cat apprentice explain. Despite the horrid situation, Duskpaw had to purr from the nostalgia of it. This was the second rogue Ferretpaw was determined to rescue.

"She's injured. And I'm taking her back to camp. Simple as that," he spoke with an even voice when released from carrying the warrior.

Toadleap opened his mouth as if to say something, but Duskpaw supposed the stress of the possible attack caused him not to argue.

"Alright," he sighed, "Duskpaw, go with him back to camp. We'll keep moving in case this cat wasn't alone, and I won't ask how she got in that state right now. Just make sure Echostar is sending out other patrols."

Duskpaw nodded, and Ferretpaw leapt away for camp just as he did so. Duskpaw snorted in surprise and started dragging the gross cat after him.

Flamepath, who was the camp guard, had his fur standing on end as Duskpaw and Ferretpaw burst into camp with yet another rogue.

He heard other cats let out hisses of confusion and discomfort as he and Ferretpaw charged across camp, but they didn't stop until they were inside the medicine cat den. Duskpaw laid the cat down in a patient nest, glad to be rid of its smell. Ferretpaw immediately went to work on her wounds.

"Ferretpaw? Is that you?" Petaldust appeared from the back of the den. "I haven't seen you or Brindlestripe since this morning and-" her words halted as her eyes fixed on the Bloodclan warrior.

He turned to her only with a plea. "I would appreciate help saving this cat," he told her. She seemed to flinch at the thought of aiding such a gnarled up rogue, but couldn't deny Ferretpaw's request. She nodded.

"I'll go talk to Echostar," Duskpaw announced, and dashed through camp before any of the now wandering cats could ask questions to her den.

"Echostar!" He barged in on her while she was lying down. She slowly turned her gaze up to meet him.

"Hello Duskpaw," she greeted calmly.

"Have you sent those patrols out yet?"

She blinked. "I've sent the dawn patrol."

Duskpaw hissed. "Didn't Boulder ask you to send out patrols where he said he saw a strange cat?"

Echostar stood up quickly. "No, he didn't," she mewed quietly. "There's been a rogue sighting?"

"There's been a rogue _catching_. Definitely Bloodclan."

"You have the cat?!"

"Yes but Echostar, this could be the battle! That small patrol needs help!" Duskpaw urged.

She dipped her head. "I'll see to it. But I need to see this cat. Take me to it. And where is Ivy?"

Duskpaw shrugged, and started leading his leader to the medicine cat den. On the way, she intercepted Darkleaf.

"Darkleaf, we've caught a rogue-"

"So I've heard!" He chuckled.

"-And I need you to send out patrols around the area she was found…"

Darkleaf swished his tail. "I've already done it, Echostar. Boulder caught sight of her, and suggested to send the patrols out to catch her and check for accompanying Bloodclan troops."

Echostar's fur rose slightly, but she laid it back down. "…Is that where all of our patrols are? That one small spot?" Duskpaw wondered what it was that momentarily unnerved Echostar.

Darkleaf sat in thought for a moment. "I suppose it is. I wanted to make sure we'd find the rogue and-"

"Well we've found it now, haven't we? Spread the patrols to the rest of the territory; we could be attacked anywhere. This could be it."

Darkleaf dipped his head and padded off. Duskpaw and Echostar finished their trip to the medicine cat den.

Ferretpaw was still patching up the cat. He looked slightly nervous, but stronger than usual as he always appeared in front of a needy cat. Petaldust now just sat to the side, watching him.

Ferretpaw looked to the den entrance as they entered. "Echostar," he greeted, dipping his head, and returned to his work. Duskpaw walked over to sit next to him. The cat looked more like a… cat now. You could see her scars clearly, and her fur had been groomed. Ferretpaw was now just applying some kind of pulp to them. Duskpaw let out a breath and looked at Echostar. She was staring with narrowed eyes at the cat.

"What's her name?" She asked.

"I'm not sure," Ferretpaw responded.

Echostar looked around the den. "Where's Brindlestripe?"

Ferretpaw paused his work to answer. "Gone…"

"Gone where?"

"The Moonstone she said."

Duskpaw saw Echostar's jaw tense up, but she released it.

"Can we trust this cat?" She asked.

Ferretpaw shook his head as he finished up mending the cat. He turned to Echostar at last. "As far as I know, she could be anything. She's been unconscious this whole time."

"…No I haven't," a new voice croaked.

All four cats around the Bloodclan cat jumped. Duskpaw looked away from Echostar and down at the cat to see her eyes open and her face full of horror.

"I'm awake," her voice shook.

No cat spoke for a moment. Echostar stepped forward and faced her.

"It's a blessing to see you well," she told the cat politely.

The cat blinked at her, but began shivering.

"How long have you been awake?" Echostar asked her gently.

"I-I'm not sure…" The cat's voice was a pitiful whine.

"What is your name?"

The cat froze, as if considering running away rather than speaking her name. But she must have convinced herself otherwise. "I'm Twig," she whispered.

Echostar dipped her head to Twig. "My name is Echostar. This is Petaldust, Duskpaw, and Ferretpaw."

"…You helped me. I feel better. Where… am I?" She asked, gaining confidence.

"You're in Shadowclan," Duskpaw told her proudly before Echostar could.

Twig stiffened. "This is where Boulder is. This is the clan we were going to attack!" Her voice was rising.

Echostar lost her cool. "When are they attacking?" She hissed at Twig.

Twig's face flooded with fear as Echostar was suddenly hostile. Duskpaw was confused. Echostar could be frightening, but not that bad. Plus, Bloodclan cats were supposed to be near-fearless. But something about Echostar seemed to put this cat the wrong way.

"I-I-" Twig choked on words.

Ferretpaw jumped in front of the steaming Echostar and addressed Twig. "Forgive our persistence, but any information you could provide us could save our clan!"

"How do we know this is a good cat? Didn't she just admit she was sided with Bloodclan?" Petaldust hissed.

"At sunhigh!" Twig hollered.

All cats grew quiet and stared at her.

"They'll be attacking from the back of the territory too!" She completely spilled.

"Why tell us so easily?" Duskpaw decided to ask what was on his mind.

"This voice… I believe this is one of the cats who came to our camp yesterday. So, you know Ivy and Boulder?" Echostar pushed. Duskpaw squinted and looked at the cat again. She was hardly recognizable from the scars, but it definitely seemed like the same cat.

Twig flinched at her voice. "Yes. I was once very good friends with them."

"Any cat could claim that!" Petaldust complained.

"Why don't you find Ivy and Boulder and _ask_ them?" Ferretpaw suggested sharply.

"I can do that!" Duskpaw leapt to his feet, itching from understandable excitement. So much was happening so quickly!

"I'll go as well," Echostar announced. "Petaldust, in the mean time, I'd like you to go catch Darkleaf and tell him to send the majority of the patrols to the… back of the territory, instead of equally spread. Though not to leave any section of the territory unguarded; just in case. Understand? We have almost no cats in camp right now, and the patrols could be looking in the wrong place."

Petaldust nodded, and took off.

"Ferretpaw…" Echostar was thinking. "I don't feel like it is safe here. Wait for one patrol to get back to camp, and then tell the patrol to evacuate the kits and elders to the carrion place." Ferretpaw bowed his head in response.

"Alright then," Echostar meowed, turning to Duskpaw. "We've got two scent trails to catch. Keep your nose pointed for Ivy and Boulder. And stay with me."

 _Ivy_

Ivy's paws were itching. She paced back and forth, back and forth, but she stopped when she heard something. Turning to look toward the source of the noise, she saw Boulder standing there. She took a few steps forward, abandoning the area underneath the Fourtrees she'd been glued to only moments before. He'd asked her to meet him there at this particular time after they left camp, and Ivy decided to do a little border checking herself before meeting him here.

"Boulder!"

Ivy kept walking toward him, closer and closer until she was close enough to see that something was off. She stopped, her tail twitching, and waited. Boulder tilted his head a bit, and something switched in Ivy's mind. There was nothing wrong; Boulder was probably just a bit on edge.

"Ivy," Boulder meowed in response. He looked like he wanted to say something. But if he wasn't going to say it on his own account, Ivy would not force him. She was just happy to have a moment, however brief and unnecessary it may be in such times, with her brother. It was nice while it lasted.

"I've been meaning to tell you," he began, picking his words carefully. "…Shadowclan is not my ally."

This shocked Ivy a bit, and she looked at him funny. "What do you mean by that? Since when? What happened?" Her mind was bursting with questions, each with so many possible answers that Ivy began to veer off into all of the possibilities, not paying any attention to Boulder or the Fourtrees or anything happening around her, only her thoughts.

"Ivy!" Boulder nudged her, bringing her back down to reality. She stared at him apologetically, and waited for him to speak.

"Okay, pick your favorite question, and ask that one first," he said, watching her closely. She thought for a minute.

"Since when?" she asked. "Since when have you not been allies with Shadowclan?"

"I've never been their ally. The only thing I support is freedom. True freedom. Just like we've always fought for. And I'm closer to gaining that than you may have previously thought..." He grinned.

Ivy's tail was twitching, her fur prickling. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, if I wanted to, I could take over whoever loses or wins this battle. I am not alone in this, Ivy."

"Take over? …Are you crazy?" Ivy took a few steps back, putting some distance in between the two.

"Aw, come on Ivy. Don't tell me you've never dreamt big before. The BloodClan cats aren't the only ones who are ignorant of freedom. These cats are, too. All of these clans. We can help _everyone_."

Her fur stood on end. "That's not dreaming big, Boulder! That's being stupid; that's being irrational! That's traitorous!"

"Really? And who, might I ask, would I be betraying?" He looked almost amused.

"Me, your sister! You'd be betraying me you-"

"Now, now. Calm down Ivy. How am I betraying you? I'm only ready to finish what we started. I'm not sure what _you've_ been doing..."

She ran towards him, closing the little distance she'd created between them before.

With her face in his, she tried to intimidate him, yelling an angry "I will _not_ calm down!" before realizing her attempt was futile.

He didn't move; he didn't react. He just stood there, waiting for her next move. That in itself sent Ivy's head reeling, her mind trying to work through everything. Why wouldn't he react, why was he being so stupid, what was his problem? She couldn't figure it out, and it was making her angry. Not only angry, though. A bigger, more prominent emotion was filling her body with lead, making her want to break down and cry, but she didn't know what it was. It was there, begging for her to acknowledge it, but all she could recognize and feel was the anger overtaking her, and she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.

But, she couldn't stop it.

Standing there, face to face with her brother, who not only admitted he'd been lying but also admitted he was considering taking advantage of a weakened clan, all clans, all cats- was making her feel nauseated. What support did he have? Was he just messing with her? No.. he was serious, but there was no way he'd acquired any kind of power. Not without her. Not that she would help destroy these pleasant cats' way of life! So, she spit in his face, and turned to leave.

And still, he stood there, not reacting. "Ivy. That was a bit childish, don't you think? I had hoped we'd gotten past spitting like angry kits."

She whipped around, slashing at his face with full force. He jumped back just in time, missing her claws by barely a hair's length. She didn't stop there, though. She continued hounding him with blows, and he continued dodging them as best he could, though she had landed quite a few. Ivy saw a disturbance in the area surrounding the two cats, but she paid no mind to it. Instead, she continued badgering Boulder, until she felt something land on her back. It was true- he had other cats!

She screeched, abandoning her fight with Boulder to try and fling the cat off of her. It had its claws sunk deep into her skin, and it was ripping them down her back. As she swung her body violently around, she felt something force her legs to give out, and she collapsed face first. The first cat had let go of her when she fell, allowing her time to hit the ground before going at her again. She couldn't see who it was or what they looked like, she could only see blurs. She could feel perfectly fine, though, since she could tell that both cats that had attacked her were now ripping at her with teeth and claws. She forced herself onto her feet, and no matter how many times they'd knocked her down, she kept getting up. Sometimes, they'd let her stand and fight for a while before knocking her down again, and sometimes they'd just throw her straight back down.

No matter what was happening, though, Ivy could feel her energy draining. She could feel the life being sucked right out of her, and she knew if the fight didn't end soon, she would not be making it back to Shadowclan. She wouldn't make it back to her friends.

She wouldn't give up, though. She'd made that promise to herself many moons ago. To give in at this moment, so vital in the fight, would mean she accepted defeat. It would mean she accepted her brother's rejection of her and the clans. To give up would mean to die in vain.

So, she pushed on. She fought as hard as she could, slashing and clawing and biting until nothing could be seen, nothing could be smelt, nothing could exist without being tainted by the blood. She heard something somewhere behind her, but she didn't turn to look. She figured that if Boulder had summoned more of his cats to finish her off, then she wouldn't go down without a fight. She'd also give them the proper advantage they deserve, not allowing herself to see them before they begin to attack. At least in this way, she would die honorably.

Bracing herself, she waited for the impact, for the feel of fresh tears ripping through her skin as claws sink deep into her skin, but nothing came. Nothing happened. She turned to face the direction she'd heard the noises, but saw nothing. Then, suddenly, the air was filled with the screeches of cats once more. She turned back to face her attackers to find them now being berated by other cats, ones that looked familiar. She could almost make them out in her haze; one cat, looking a bit like the ones who'd been attacking her with dark fur and quick movements. The other, a white cat, who moved quicker and with more confidence than the other. Ivy saw the two fighting three cats, but Ivy didn't really remember fighting three. Then again, she had been beaten from all sides, and now that the attention was off of her, the only thing she could think about was taking a nice nap…

Someone was standing over her; that much she knew. Ivy could see the shadow through her eyelids. She didn't want to be awake, though. Sleeping felt so nice; she knew she could just sleep forever.

"Ivy!" She felt something hit her side, something hard. She winced, curling into a tight little ball. She heard a noise from above her.

"Duskpaw!" Came a familiar voice, obviously scolding the other.

"She wasn't waking up!" Another familiar voice. And if she remembered correctly, this Duskpaw…he must be her friend. Yes, Duskpaw was a friend from Shadowclan.

"That is no excuse to hit her; she's already in pain!"

"I'm sorry, Echostar." Echostar. The clan leader.

Ivy forced herself to open her eyes, allowing them a little bit of time to adjust before swiveling her head around to get a good look at her surroundings. She saw that the two were now staring at her, watching her like a cat on hunt. She laid her head back down.

"Why're you guys here?" she asked, her words sort of slurring together.

"This is no time for talking, we need to get you help. We can tell you all about it later," said Echostar. She looked blank, but Ivy could tell by the way she was holding herself that there were a lot of things on her mind. She decided then that she could most definitely wait for an explanation later, and she looked over to Duskpaw. He was a bit nervous looking, but he also looked excited and accomplished. Ivy was sure she'd be hearing about whatever had just happened, as well as anything else that had happened for many moons to come.

 _Ferretpaw_

"Carrion place?" Toadleap hissed. "Why would that be safer than here?"

"We must trust Echostar's judgment," Ferretpaw sighed.

Toadleap closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "One patrol got a good whiff of BloodClan when we last split up, I think. …May StarClan go with you, Ferretpaw," the warrior last said before walking away to gather up the kits and elders.

"Ferretpaw!" Petaldust was galloping across the clearing to his den. "I'm almost completely healed and capable of battle, why won't you let me-"

"Someone has to protect the elders and kits if things go wrong!" Ferretpaw was tired of being patient with cats. "You must do this!"

Petaldust seemed to understand, because she finally agreed. She too went off to gather cats to leave for the carrion place. And then Silentpaw and Foxpaw were upon him, but not to complain. They pressed their slender bodies against his.

"Let's hope this isn't a last goodbye," Silentpaw tried to mew cheerily.

"Yes… Stay safe, brother," Foxpaw ordered him softly.

"You too," Ferretpaw breathed in their scents, and avoiding thinking about them never coming back.

"Apprentices! We're leaving; everyone's ready!" Toadleap called. The two she cats gave a final farewell and raced off for whatever fate may offer them.

Ferretpaw turned around sadly and then saw his new patient, Twig staring up at him from sitting in a hunch. He bit his tongue.

"You need to evacuate camp with the others," he told her.

"That means you think I'm weak," she fought him.

"…Yes. You've been torn to pieces not too long ago by Starclan knows what, and you would rather jump off into battle than regain your strength?"

"I need to see Ivy and Boulder, at least," she begged. "You have no idea how confused I am right now. About everything! And they're the only ones that I can hope will make me understand… I just don't know what I'm doing…" She took a sharp breath in.

Ferretpaw collapsed inside. He wouldn't argue with this cat. In normal circumstances he would, but…

"Alright. But I'd prefer that you stay near me or a Shadowclan warrior you recognize."

"I'll go where I want."

Ferretpaw let her feel like she'd claimed some ground. Or maybe she knew Ferretpaw was going easy on her. He didn't know. He just needed to get near all the patrols for when the casualties would begin.

He gathered up all his herbs he'd need in a leaf. But just as he was about to pick it up in his mouth, he heard heavy breathing coming from camp, which he thought was empty besides he and Twig. It should have been, at least. He heaved out a breath and went out of the den with Twig following. And he couldn't have been more surprised.

It was Brindlestripe. And next to her was… was… a cat… with stars in his fur…

"S-Starclan!" Ferretpaw exclaimed. Twig raised her hackles and puffed her pelt out.

"W-what's wrong with that cat?!" She hissed, looking at the Starclan cat. It frightened Ferretpaw that his ancestor looked incredibly worried.

"Ferretpaw," Brindlestripe began, "there's a huge explanation for everything."

Ferretpaw felt dizzy. What needed explaining?

The Starclan cat stepped forward. "I am Redscar," he introduced himself, bowing his head. "When I walked as a living cat, I was a Shadowclan medicine cat."

"What does this mean?" Twig panicked.

"I will explain everything as fast as I can," Redscar promised. "Listen to my words."

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw couldn't believe how well he fought.

But he also couldn't believe _who_ he fought.

What had happened? A cat he'd looked up to. Respected. Thought of as a friend. That cat had almost killed Ivy. And even worse were the cats that fought alongside him…

Those cats were dead.

And they were not from Starclan.

The three cats, Duskpaw, Echostar, and Ivy, entered camp to find an almost stranger sight. Duskpaw saw the Bloodclan cat, Twig, trembling, with Ferretpaw and Brindlestripe comforting her in the middle of camp. And beside them sat a cat that seemed to sparkle.

"What in Starclan's name is happening?" Echostar hollered.

The sparkling cat turned around. "BOULDER. You cannot leave that cat alone for a heartbeat! I understand it all now; he will betray you; he will-"

"Too late, we already figured that out," Duskpaw snarled, though his voice cracked.

"You're all mad!" Twig hissed. "I don't care what you've done for me, but Boulder is one of the most noble cats that has ever taken a breath out of this foxhearted world, and you claim-" she stopped mid sentence as she finally noticed Ivy. Ivy noticed her too. But her eyes were glazed, and she seemed out of it.

"Twig? I'm seeing things… I'm seeing things…" Ivy mumbled to herself.

Twig was frozen for a few moments, but then dashed over and pressed herself against Ivy.

"I-I'm real! And you're alive! And oh… Ivy I… I don't understand anything," Twig didn't seem in her right mind either. And Duskpaw didn't even know her.

"None of that matters right now!" Redscar hissed. "You're telling me you've let the demon escape? OH WE'RE ALL DOOMED OH WELL."

" _Silence_!" Echostar bellowed.

"Echostar, we've got to go to the battle. Listen, it's happening. They're attacking," Ferretpaw warned. Duskpaw heard the howls of a distant war.

"And Boulder has his allies waiting patiently for Bloodclan and Shadowclan to weaken themselves," Redscar raged.

"He has more?" Echostar's face fell.

"Boulder has more supporters?" Twig whispered. "He said he was safe with Shadowclan…"

Redscar snorted. "That didn't mean he sided with them."

"Boulder attacked me, Twig," Ivy stated in a near-dead voice. It scared Duskpaw. Ivy swayed on her paws. Ferretpaw leapt over and began tending to her.

"That's impossible!" Twig cried.

"Back to Boulder's support!" Echostar ordered a topic change.

"Well. All I know is he has a group of living cats supporting him. And possibly a few Starclan cats," Redscar sighed.

"Those cats were not of Starclan," Echostar firmly stated.

Redscar's spinal fur stood on end. "…Dark Forest?"

"Only two of them."

"I've heard of pairs of Dark Forest cats somehow finding each other occasionally…" Redscar easily reasoned while Duskpaw sat dumbfounded. _What was the Dark Forest?_

Suddenly Redscar's eyes are wide. "I've also heard of Dark Forest cats sending prophecies to Starclan cats. They can only do it if the prophecies can come true, though. They just transfer what they know! Oh… oh… They… They sent it to the minds of every cat in Starclan for the sake of stirring up trouble!" He rambled.

"How is that relevant?!" Echostar hissed.

"That's why they…" Ferretpaw's mew trailed off in understanding. By the looks of faces, only Ferretpaw, Brindlestripe, and Redscar understood what was happening.

"I will explain on the way to the battle," Redscar huffed. "Or maybe Brindlestripe can. She's heard it twice now. You! Bloodclan cat!" He called to Twig. Twig pinned her ears.

"I don't plan on collaborating with the likes of you," she growled.

"I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to stop a tyrant from taking over every living morsel," he sarcastically stated. "Were there any cats inside of BloodClan that have recently been with Boulder?"

"…Only me." She said. Duskpaw wondered why she answered.

"Ah… and Boulder also must have had a way to bring his supporters inside of Bloodclan since they're not here, or so we hope… Has Bloodclan taken in any outside cats since you found Boulder?"

Her eyes widened. "The rogue gang. Blizzard asked them to join us for battle support, but I have no clue why Blizzard asked or why the group so easily accepted…" Twig faded off. Then shook her head. "But I don't believe Boulder could have any bad intentions! I can't!"

"Yeah, I don't care. But that must be them!" Redscar turned to Echostar. "You must find and destroy those cats! They'll likely be on the sidelines or attacking in every which way. Eh, vague, I know, but… you'll work it out. They're top priority. In the meantime, I'll do what I can to help," his words almost all formed together. "I can get more Starclan warriors to intercept the Starclan warriors that are helping Blizzard."

"The _what_?" Echostar screeched.

"Tell them on the way," Redscar sighed to Brindlestripe. Then he disappeared.

Brindlestripe nodded. "Let's go."


	13. Chapter 19

The Real Battle

 _Twig_

Twig was charging with strange religious cats that she had no clue who were but who had saved her life, with her closest friend who she'd thought to be dead until quite recently, and she was looking for her other closest friend who had supposedly attacked her first closest friend and nearly killed her and had the help of evil dead cats. Also that other closest friend was planning on taking over the forest.

And Twig was told that these evil dead cats sent a prophecy to good dead cats, causing them to lose order and support Blizzard, a cat that had ruined Twig's life and held a heavy grudge against this "ShadowClan" so they could destroy Ivy, who the good dead cats thought the prophecy said would try and take over the forest. Except the prophecy was talking about Boulder, so the good dead cats have been wrong. To sum up, Twig's two closest friends will now be trying to kill each other. Also dead cats aren't exactly dead.

Twig was going to lose her mind.

She stared at her paws and listened to the surrounding conversation to try and soothe herself.

"Ivy, what would you be able to do in your current state?" Ferretpaw hissed.

"Kill Blizzard; the thing I've been trying to do my whole life!" Ivy retorted, finally standing on all four paws. Twig's friend was incredibly shaken when she'd first entered this camp, and had made a miraculous recovery in a short amount of time. Or she seemed to have.

"Ferretpaw, Ivy is not yours to give orders to," Echostar warned. "She's still not of the clan."

"Though very worthy of being a part of it," Duskpaw purred. He was silenced by a harsh look from Echostar.

"We don't have time to argue," Brindlestripe sighed. "Who's coming is coming. We must stop Boulder. And Blizzard. And Redscar has already sent off for help from StarClan."

"Yes… ShadowClan, depart," Echostar ordered the small bit of her clan that was present.

"I'm coming," Ivy stated firmly. "Even if I can't find Blizzard. Fighting and dying for this clan would be an honor enough."

Twig finally pulled her head up to look at her mangled companion, Ivy. Despite the fact that Ivy told Twig that her brother attempted to kill her, her sights were still set on murdering the wretched white tomcat that started it all. And not only for herself and the innocent of BloodClan, but for those of this clan as well. Twig admired Ivy's purpose. She could tell the other cats did, too. These cats seemed very different from those in BloodClan. The word "honor" was only ever used in reference to Blizzard. But here… it definitely meant something else. These cats didn't want to fight out of fear of their leader, as similar as she seemed to Blizzard. They wanted to fight out honor. True honor. This concept shook Twig to the core. How could she have been so weak all her life? She was simply lucky to have been surrounded by other strong cats.

"I'm coming too," Twig put in as the cats were turning to leave. But, Twig didn't say why she was coming… she didn't even know herself. Perhaps she was tired of being afraid. She had made too many mistakes in the past, and it had almost cost her the lives of those that mattered most. If Boulder truly betrayed Ivy… oh, she loved the both of them. But the state Boulder left Ivy in was too reminiscent of Blizzard. That mean the only thing that mattered now was Ivy. And the concept of honor?

The clan cats didn't question her decision. Ivy nodded at her, and Ferretpaw blinked. Then, all cats took off for the battle.

 _Darkleaf_

Darkleaf finally heaved the disgusting gray tabby tom off of himself, and gave it a good swipe in the rump to send it running.

"Take that, Bloodclan scum!" He hissed triumphantly at the coward. But the rush of triumph soon left him. That was already the third cat he'd chased off, and he felt as if they were only heartbeats into this surprise battle. Darkleaf knew how lucky Shadowclan was to have been warned by Twig, the new captured Bloodclan cat, of when and where the battle would take place. They were also lucky she hadn't lied; Echostar was clever to have trusted Twig. Despite all this, Darkleaf could sense his cats' energy wearing out as his own. He gasped for breath to try and regain some lost energy, and stared around the clearing to check on his clan before he took on another cat.

There was no apparent group that was winning. There were actually almost twice as many Bloodclan cats as Shadowclan cats, but… about a third of them seemed to be doing nothing but hovering around the edge of the battle. They had no battle scars and looked very strong and ready to fight. And yet they were only watching. Darkleaf looked closer at their physical appearance.

They all seemed to have broad heads in comparison to the fighting Bloodclan cats. Could it be… they weren't Bloodclan? The fur on Darkleaf's neck rose.

 _Who were they?_

Darkleaf's concerning thought stream was broken by a cracked screech. He tensed his muscles and craned his neck in search of the sound. _Nightmist and Smokefoot taking on three apprentice-sized cats, Fogpath perching on a massive ginger tom's back, Rosethorn grappling a calico…_

Then he caught Fuzzywhisker being pinned by white she cat. He was bleeding heavily, and his jaw was clenched. He was also only a couple of tail-lengths away. Darkleaf shunned his current concerns and charged at the cat that was threatening his clanmate.

 _Duskpaw_

Duskpaw had to flinch at the sight that greeted him upon entering the clearing of the battle. There were a few cats lying motionless in the grass, so he did his best to keep his eyes off of them and assume they were all Bloodclan.

Echostar turned to the mixed patrol of warrior, apprentice, rogue, and medicine cat.

"Brindlestripe and Ferretpaw, I know I don't need to give you any orders. But try to keep yourselves and our clanmates safe," Echostar sighed. The two medicine cats nodded and leapt off into the clearing to search for wounded clan members.

"Ivy and Twig, I also cannot give you two any orders. But I do hope you'll fight on our side, and in the name of Starclan. Though I'll respect and decision you make," she gratified them, and fixed her gaze on Ivy. "This would also be informal… but given your current state and wishes, I'd be very willing to honor you as a member of this clan."

Ivy dipped her head. "Thank you, but knowing this clan trusts me so much is all I need for now."

Duskpaw saw Twig uncomfortably shift her paws.

"Good luck to you both in finding what you seek. May Starclan guide your paws. All of you," Echostar meowed, and gestured to Duskpaw to follow her into the clearing. So he did. He and his leader dashed into the thicket of scrambling cats. And in a heartbeat, Duskpaw lost sight of her. All he could see was fur flying.

He was very disoriented. But then a shabby silver tabby came into his focus. A pain in his jaw followed. Duskpaw almost panicked, but cleared his mind and put forward his memories of battle training. He set his senses on the movements of his opponent's muscles. He felt the tabby's shoulder tense as it prepared for another frontal strike, so Duskpaw knew to counter it by stepping back, waiting for the swipe to pass, and pouncing! He managed to take the tabby off guard and make it lose its balance. Duskpaw saw a flash of white that marked the cat's stomach, and lunged forward to give it a good slash. It didn't land as well as he wanted, but it tore open the cat's skin, making it howl in surprise. Another hit to the mind-joggled tabby's jaw sent it scrambling out of the fight. Duskpaw hadn't expected the cat to have been such an easy opponent, but he hollered in victory and followed the cat for a chase.

They twisted through the other battling cats. Duskpaw enjoyed the power his paws felt. But he came to a quick halt as he noticed something, letting the tabby successfully flee. _No loss, but…_

Duskpaw could now see a large group of cats on the border of the clearing that were doing… nothing. Except watching. Duskpaw stood there for a moment. Why was it so strange? It gave him chills like Boulder did, and then Boulder… Duskpaw shook his head to see if it would clear.

Instead, a sleek, brown figure caught his eye moving past the cats who continued to do nothing. Duskpaw lost interest in the cats and started following the cat he now recognized to be Twig. His curiosity to see what she was up to dominated his instinct that wanted him to rush back into the battle. But after her he dashed.

 _Ivy_

"I know you're looking for me, dear kit," a dark voice rumbled behind Ivy. She jumped at the sound, and turned quickly to find herself facing who she was indeed looking for.

Blizzard.

"Wandering blindly through cats that are pointlessly defending themselves is an inefficient way of searching for a particular cat," the giant white tom hissed in her face.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Ivy greeted, and tensed her muscles to prepare for any sudden attacks he might commence. Though for now, she went along with his conversation.

"Far too long. Why couldn't you simply do as you were told?"

"Let's not play games. I think we're both completely aware of each other's situations now, yes?"

Blizzard chuckled icily. "You know I'm working with your brother."

"And you know he's come to me and told me this."

"And we both know it is for neither you nor I that he is truly in favor of," Blizzard whispered.

Ivy nodded. "And I know you spoke the truth when you warned us that you had Starclan on your side."

"And I know they're not supportive of my plans besides destroying you. Though, it's supposed to be your brother," Blizzard began circling Ivy.

Ivy held her position, but kept her muscles tensed. "And we both know that a darker force exists, and that it is siding with Boulder," she spoke as lifelessly as a rock.

"Not for his sake. For their own gain," Blizzard agreed. "And the scratches on your pelt are not only from your brother, but from them as well."

Ivy unsheathed her claws. "What I don't know is how you presume you'll win against him, even if you destroy us," she hissed, starting to lose her cool.

"I have an army. He has a few dead cats. I also have a few dead cats. I can't see how this would turn out in his favor," Blizzard growled in response. He was starting to lose his cool as Ivy was.

Ivy felt the stares of the strange cats that surrounded the battle clearing. The cats who did nothing. "Perhaps we're not both completely aware of each other's situations…" she whispered in thought.

Ivy hadn't thought much of her brother's plan to overthrow Blizzard _and_ Shadowclan. Her brother was smart enough to know Blizzard would know Boulder would only work with him if Boulder felt like he could finally take Blizzard down. And Boulder knows he would need more than a few dead cats on his side to do so. And obviously he didn't plan on Shadowclan being the group of cats to support him. Ivy focused her mind on the conversation with that Starclan cat before the battle…

 _"And Boulder has his allies waiting patiently for BloodClan and ShadowClan to weaken themselves," Redscar raged._

Redscar, the Starclan cat. Ivy was sure he said that. The statement supported Ivy's reasoning. Then she again felt the burning stares of the cats that did nothing…

 _Waiting patiently…_

They were waiting.

And not even Blizzard knew.

Ivy was so startled, her attention on Blizzard had dulled, and she wasn't prepared when he tackled her. He and she flew skilled paws back and forth at each other, but Ivy soon realized how unimportant killing Blizzard was in comparison to this new threat. Yes, Shadowclan could defeat Bloodclan. But when they did, these cats' patient waiting would be over. And Shadowclan may not be able to handle that.

Blizzard's blows were hurting too much, and Ivy felt the weakness of her broken body return. She felt panic take over as Blizzard pinned her at last. He was laughing, but it was unsettling laughter. As if traced with sorrow.

"Poor helpless kit," he snickered at her through gritted teeth, keeping her pinned. "See what happens to kits that get raised by their mothers for too long? I basically rescued your dying soul all those moons ago, and yet it started this whole mess of you and your brother!"

Ivy's panic turned to rage, and she desperately struggled to free herself from Blizzards cruel taunts.

"Ah, see what happens when you put your faith in such a ridiculous cause?" He continued to sneer.

"My faith is in Shadowclan!" Ivy choked out defiantly.

"Shadowclan. A clan that tears at your heart and mind for having a dream. And then they rip your face off to finish," he snarled, and turned the eyeless side of his face to her. "So what I did to your mother was nothing but passing a tradition of the clan you put your faith in. She was just too weak to survive it like I did!"

Blizzard's breathing was getting uneven.

"All you she cats are just too weak! You all run away, or find some other cat, after all we put in for you, don't you?" He asked the question in such a friendly voice that it gave Ivy chills. He set one of his unsheathed paws on her face. "Let's see if you die faster than your mother."

Ivy braced herself for pain worse than she'd ever felt.

But the weight of Blizzard was shoved off of her by a dark, roaring figure.

Ivy pulled her shaky body up as fast as she could, and turned to see an exhausted Darkleaf grappling with Blizzard. Ivy launched herself to aid the black tom, but… she was too late.

Darkleaf's body fell with an open neck wound.

Ivy hadn't expected that she'd ever be able to knock over a cat as large as Blizzard, but she did. She tore at him, and watched his white fur turn to red. She felt her vision spin, but she didn't stop. Not until the scent of Ferretpaw calmed her mind. When it was made clear, one glance at Blizzard's body made her feel sick. Her throat tightened and she could make out Darkleaf. Brindlestripe was bending over him. Next to her was Echostar.

"He's dead, Ivy, that's enough…" Ferretpaw soothed. She was aware of nothing but his tail touching her shoulder. "Come with me," His voice whispered in Ivy's ear. They carefully traveled the few pawsteps to Darkleaf's body.

Brindlestripe blinked calmly at her. "He is joining Starclan."

"He would like to speak to you," Echostar slowly spoke to Ivy.

Ivy pulled herself up to Darkleaf. She had to look closely at his chest to see if he was actually breathing. His eyes were glazing, but they met Ivy's.

"How could you do that for me?" Ivy whispered to her savior, the cat who had always been so distant and cautious of her.

He gasped before he spoke. "A deputy lives to serve his clan," he rasped slowly. "You… are of my clan. I appreciate all that you've needlessly done for us. Thank you. ...You're not really a smelly rogue," he chuckled painfully.

And just like that, two lives were taken. One that had been her enemy for so long, and another one who had amazing potential and loyalty. Her goal had at last been accomplished… but it was so empty. She couldn't even _remember_ it. What now? Ivy couldn't speak. She bowed her head, and turned to Ferretpaw. She buried her muzzle in his fur, despite his own face twisting in the agony of his dying clanmate. Even if it would only last a heartbeat, it would prepare her for the cats that have been waiting. She knew they would now strike at last.

 _Twig_

Twig felt shame in running straight past the battle after the large, white she cat, Echostar, had been so respectful. But this had to be done. And Echostar still looked too familiar.

Twig had dashed across the clearing, and past that rogue group that Blizzard had gained the support of. Twig paid no mind that they did nothing. She was too focused on the cat she was looking for. She had decided, after the trek over, she deserved more answers. Even if she'd never given any herself.

Twig wasn't sure how long she'd been wandering around these muddy, piney woods for, but it felt like moons. The sun burned high overhead.

"How did I guess you'd be looking for me?" A friendly, familiar voice purred.

"You don't know that it's you I'm looking for," Twig challenged. She didn't understand how this cat could always appear so happy.

"I do. You want some things explained," he placed himself in front of her line of vision now, and sat down. His green eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Boulder," she was going to ask a question, but suddenly she had no idea what she could ask. Only one thing came to mind. "What have you done?"

Boulder scooted himself incredibly close to her. She felt her fur burn. "That's a very good question. Why, I've only done what every cat's ever wanted. I've destroyed Blizzard."

"He's not dead yet," Twig's voice shook. "And you've done absolutely nothing!" Twig was offended by him. She'd been through so much, and here he sat claiming he'd destroyed the tyrant that's been ruining their lives, while he was out safely hiding.

"Well, I suppose I didn't exactly do it on my own," Boulder circled one of his paws on the muddy earth. "And I suppose Blizzard's not exactly dead. But he might as well be. This is our chance, Twig! If all goes as planned, we can finally have the life we've always wanted," he whispered, leaning against her.

Twig felt like she should leap away, but she didn't want to. Her mind was lost in the thought of her dream future, but she soon shook it away. Reality is what mattered at this moment. "So, you're not so sure? You say if all goes as planned," she stuttered, trying to doubt him.

He shrugged. "It seems to be going well."

"You act as if this is a game…"

"Because it is! It's simply a very complicated game that risks lives," he assured her. "And even more than that, it's a game of minds. I'll let you in on a secret: the only real players are Blizzard and me. Not Ivy, not Echostar, not anyone else. They're all just pieces in the game."

"Including me?" Twig hissed, and tried to shift away from him.

"Well, yes. But that doesn't mean the piece isn't special," he shifted with her, trying to catch her gaze.

"But I'm still just a piece in your mind," she growled and stood up to pad away from him.

"I don't know why you get offended so easily," he chuckled, and stood up after her.

Twig felt her heart drop in sorrow. _This cat…_

She turned to face him again. "Did you attack Ivy?" She asked, trying to hide the pain she felt.

He swayed from left to right, with a casual expression. "Yes."

"Boulder…" Twig found it so hard to remain standing. "How could you? Your own kin. Your companion. Our best friend."

He sighed. "She's lost her vision. It's very unfortunate for her, but… coming across this silly clan has destroyed her ambition. Can you see it? She wants nothing more than to aid those beasts."

Twig shook her head slowly. "They don't seem like beasts…"

"They're the ones who twisted Blizzard so much," he pointed out.

"But her passion seems righteous."

"Twig, putting yourself out for someone you don't know isn't righteous. You have to have self respect. You could be blindly fighting for monsters."

"So you're saying it's wrong to fight for others?"

"No no, you just need to make sure they have the right cause. And the best way to do that is to get them to follow _you_ , not follow them."

It suddenly clicked in Twig's mind. "Those rogues. At the battle. The ones that aren't doing anything…"

Boulder smiled. "Some friends I made while I was gone."

"It's only been a few moons hasn't it…? How are they so loyal?" Twig's question seemed stupid compared to what she should be asking.

Boulder scratched his ear casually. "I, uh… apparently, I can be very convincing."

"What do you mean?"

"I can hardly believe it myself, but they truly think I'm some sort of deity," Boulder purred.

Twig's fur prickled. "That's… just not right. How did you do it?"

"I used words. They were a group of purposeless cats… and I managed to give them purpose is all."

"Boulder, that seems so wrong…" Twig was becoming more and more frightened by her old friend. This friend who was also so special. The things he'd done were starting to settle in her mind.

He pushed himself against her again. But this time he was making her nervous. "Don't be so naïve, Twig. Maybe you could become a player in this game. You're smart enough to."

"Tell me what you're doing!" Twig hissed at him, and shouldered him away from her.

His eyes glowed as if he were hurt. It was so hard for Twig to fight the guilt she felt from his gaze. "I just want to make everyone happy like they deserve to be," he sighed.

"By using us?"

"Come now, how have I ever used you?"

Twig thought. She pushed her mind back to every single detail. She'd hardly seen him since she ran away. Actually she'd only seen him once really. He didn't do anything but present himself to her, as he seemed to be doing now. And then after that, Blizzard…

"Blizzard tried to kill me. In fact, it was only yesterday… after you left, and I slept," Twig told him.

His face now reflected shock. "Is that what these wounds are…?" He asked, drawing his tail across her scarred pelt. "I'm so sorry."

Twig was going to ask him why Blizzard might have done it. But then she understood. "You. You brushed against me the night before that. And Blizzard was calling me a traitor while he was chasing me away! He scented you on me…" Twig was startled by her sudden recollection.

Something flashed in Boulder's eye. "That's terrible."

Twig's heart shattered. "You planned that. Don't say you didn't, because I know you did. You wouldn't have touched me if you…" She wondered how insincere Boulder always was. She wondered how many touches he'd placed on her that made her want him so much but were meant only for his own personal gain. _That didn't seem righteous._ That made Twig feel like her whole life was nothing but a controlled piece of prey, instead of having friends and hope.

Boulder smiled weakly. "It was only because you're special. And because I knew you'd have been strong enough to handle anything."

"I'll no longer be taken by your words," she snarled at him. "I'll no longer be a piece in your game. I can now believe you fooled innocent cats to follow you, and that you tried to murder your own sister. I can believe you're doing this only so you could have power. And I can believe you're working with cats that were sent to a dark world because they were so evil when they lived!" Twig felt herself shaking.

Boulder seemed taken aback. "How did you know about the dead ones?"

"You don't even care," Twig's throat tightened. "Did you ever even care? You put my life at risk for yourself. You couldn't have even used some other cat?"

Boulder twitched one ear. "Obviously you've missed how much Blizzard cares for you."

A chill shot through Twig's body. "I don't think he can…" How could she have been so oblivious? It was suddenly _very_ obvious that he liked her. At least in the way Blizzard could like a cat. Which meant being angry enough to try to kill her when scenting a different tomcat on her pelt.

"So I did use you," Boulder confessed.

"How often do you lie? …And why did you need to use me?"

Boulder ignored her comment about lying. "Use your clever little head, Twig. I needed to distract Blizzard enough so that he wouldn't suspect treachery from my rogue gang that agreed to assist Bloodclan. Because they won't be assisting Bloodclan. And Blizzard is very clever. But love is the greatest weakness of all cats. Blizzard knew of everything I was thinking, except for me having control over those random cats he found. It should seem so obvious, but he was so distracted by being afraid of treachery from _you_ instead of _them_."

Twig unsheathed her claws. She'd heard enough. She wanted to claw his face off. _He's been manipulating every cat._ His mind was beyond twisted.

But then she knew what this meant for Shadowclan if they were to defeat Bloodclan. Boulder's rogue gang would attack them directly after.

 _I have to warn them._

Twig quickly turned away from Boulder and shot off back in the direction of the battle. But she was met by a cat that was translucent like Redscar, the Starclan cat. But this cat's fur didn't twinkle.

"We can't have you running off with this information," it whispered to her.

Boulder was approaching her with his casual stride that he always kept, as she laid trapped between the two. "I only told you this information because I hoped you'd join me. Honestly, so I could use you in case Blizzard did survive this battle. But you've made your choice clear."

Twig raised her hackles, preparing for a battle despite the panic she felt. She would tear Boulder up as much as she could.

But the translucent cat howled in pain, seemingly for no reason. Twig looked to see one of those warrior cats on his back! Duskpaw…?

"I have a knack for saving cats from these evil ghosty things apparently," he greeted through gritted teeth.

Twig wanted to thank him, but claws met her side, and she leapt around to find herself face to face with Boulder. Twig let her rage control her blows. She hated how his eyes still remained so casual. Nothing fazed him. He didn't care that she loved him, he didn't care that he was destroying lives, he didn't care about anything!

Twig heard Duskpaw holler in pain. "There's that other one, the second ghost cat! Watch your back, we're outnumbered," he warned her.

"You annoying little troll!" One of the dead cats hissed at him. But Boulder remained unfazed still.

More claws met Twig's flank. She twisted, trying to fight off the second cat. But her claws only met air as her fur was continuously ripped.

"Starclan, help us," she heard Duskpaw gasp tiredly. Twig wanted to collapse, but she wasn't ready to die. She wanted to do things. She wanted to apologize to Ivy.

A blood-cut shout smashed Twig's ears. Could they have killed that warrior cat that rescued her? Twig felt closer to giving in. But then she realized that she was now only fighting Boulder, who suddenly backed off with wide eyes and raised fur. He finally appeared surprised. Twig followed his gaze.

"I honor you, Twig," a familiar cat sighed in exhaustion. It was that cat again, Fang. The cat she'd killed in battle training. The cat that also saved her life and lead her to Shadowclan. And at her paws laid the second translucent cat; dead. Twig turned her gaze to see Duskpaw and the first translucent cat standing frozen, staring at the sight as Boulder and she was.

"You killed him…" Boulder whispered in fear, finally. Fear. "But he was already dead…"

"Dead cats can still be destroyed," Fang meowed calmly. "No one knows where they go after life in death..."

Twig watched amazingly as the dead-dead cat faded into the earth.

Boulder's face was laced with fear.

"Hey, this one disappeared, too!" Duskpaw called.

 _The other must have fled,_ Twig thought.

And so did Boulder. Twig heard the sound of paws pounding, and turned to see him running away. She felt Duskpaw tense to chase him.

"Not now. We must go warn your clan of the final threat," Twig ordered Duskpaw. It was strange; too much wrong had just happened, but Twig felt very calm now.

Duskpaw nodded at her. "Foxhearted coward…" He muttered.

Twig almost charged off for the clearing, but remembered Fang. She faced the dead savior.

"Thank you. For everything. You've done so much more than you've needed, or that we deserve," she told the poor she cat.

Fang dipped her head. "No Twig, it is definitely what you cats deserve," she purred. And then she disappeared.

"Yeah, who was that?" Duskpaw asked, with a shocked expression.

"A friend," Twig mewed sadly. Then she ran for the direction of the battle-clearing, feeling Duskpaw following her.

 _Ferretpaw_

Ferretpaw stared down at the body of his father, Darkleaf. The large, black tomcat's final breath left him only heartbeats ago. He was now with Starclan. Ferretpaw's heart twisted in sorrow.

 _What will I tell Foxpaw?_

Ivy's muzzle was buried in his shoulder, and Ferretpaw caught his mother's mournful cries in his ears. Echostar bowed her head once more to her so trusted deputy, and returned to help her clan finish this battle; as did his mother, Rosethorn. Or finish the _first_ part of the battle. Ferretpaw shivered as his gaze flew across the cats that never moved even a single whisker the whole battle. He could feel their muscles tensing. Shadowclan was now chasing Bloodclan off, and yet they still waited. They were cruel enough to wait for the victory cry.

"Ferrretpaw…" The medicine cat apprentice heard his name being called. He craned his neck to see Brindlestripe. She motioned towards the fighting cats with her ears, and nodded at Ivy. Ferretpaw blinked in understanding. He needed to calm down Ivy, and return to aiding the clan. Then, Brindlestripe, too, went to help finish this battle.

"Ivy," Ferretpaw whispered to her, "perhaps you need to lie down?"

"I'm no fool. I know those strange cats are about to attack us; I'm not about to abandon this clan yet," she sighed quietly. "Blizzard is dead. Boulder remains a threat, but we're one step closer to ending this at last. If we're not destroyed by our next enemy."

Ferretpaw nodded slowly. "But Starclan is on our side... have faith."

He felt Ivy stretch and raise her head. "Where did that one, Redscar, run off to?" She asked.

Ferretpaw shrugged in despair, and his gaze fell back to his father.

"How well did you know him?" Ivy questioned quietly. Ferretpaw didn't think it was time for personal stories, but he knew she was only trying to cope. He went along.

"Not very well, despite him being my kin," Ferretpaw tried to laugh. He noticed his previously fighting clanmates starting to settle down and clean their wounds. The waiting cats' tails seemed to sway in synchrony. Ferretpaw could hear the blood start to pulse heavily in his ears.

"Your kin?"

"He was my father."

Ivy's face was shocked. "…I had absolutely no idea."

"Like I said, we weren't very close."

"Why not?"

Ferretpaw tried to shrug casually as he felt his throat tighten. "Well, he was deputy. It's a time consuming task. And then I'm a medicine cat. Also time consuming."

Ivy slowly looked at the ground. Ferretpaw had no idea what was going through her head. He decided she was fine now, and starting looking for warriors to heal.

He felt as if his head was shoved into an abyss. A chill was creeping across his body and he now realized in terror how little warriors would be capable of a good fight as he focused on the injured warriors of the clearing. His eyes locked on Flamepath, who was dragging himself about, perhaps looking for another challenger. But Bloodclan had nearly left the clearing.

"Come now, you'll be better for the clan when I can dress those wounds," Ferretpaw called to him, and leapt to his side.

Flamepath spit. "I don't need to be dressed. Go help some cat who's dying."

But Flamepath did not protest as Ferretpaw began cleaning his wounds. Ferretpaw wondered why the lithe orange tom was shaking so badly.

 _He couldn't be that weak, could he?_ But then Ferretpaw noticed it was his own paws that were shaking.

Flamepath shifted his paws nervously. "We've almost won, right?" He asked Ferretpaw. Ferretpaw hoped his own anxiety wasn't unnerving the warrior.

"Yes yes, not too long now," Ferretpaw tried to soothe the warrior. And himself.

 _Starclan, don't forget us again,_ he prayed.


End file.
